Bumrah vs Cummins: The battle between the no. 1s

Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins are both freaks. If one returned from a pretty long injury lay-off that spanned years to become the no. 1 Test bowler, the other came onto the scene as a yorker specialist and went on to become one all-format scary commodity in the last couple of years.

A graph plotted for the rise of both Bumrah and Cummins would just go skyward with the two showing incredible progress over the last couple of years in International cricket. With India set to take on Australia in a three-match ODI series at home starting January 14, Cummins and Bumrah have a chance to go head-to-head in a one-on-one showdown.

Jasprit Bumrah is currently the no 1 ranked ODI bowler while Pat Cummins is the no 1 ranked Test bowler. Cummins, though, is recognised as one exceptional bowler across formats as witnessed by the huge bidding war he triggered in the recent Indian T20 League auctions where he ended up as the highest valued player.

How does he stack up to Bumrah in ODIs though?

Both Bumrah and Cummins have played 58 ODIs apiece. While the Indian pacer has 103 wickets, Cummins comes a close second with 96. Both have the same number of four and five-wicket hauls but the average, economy and strike rate metrics are won hands down by Bumrah, justifying his no. 1 tag. While Cummins has an average of 27.11, an economy of 5.14 and a strike rate above 30, Bumrah has an average of 21.88, an economy less than 5 and a strike rate in the 20.

But Bumrah's reputation in the format was built over time, while Cummins translated into an ODI bowler very recently. A look at the two bowlers' record in 2019 in the fifty-overs format shows Cummins inching ahead of the uncanny Bumrah.

In 16 matches last year, Cummins took 31 wickets with a five-wicket haul and a strike rate of 27.3. Bumrah, on the other hand, played 14 ODIs for 25 wickets at a strike rate of 31.8. The Indian pacer continues to be the more economical with a rate of 4.62 but Cummins' has brought down his economy too and was pretty close to Bumrah at 4.73 last year. Even in terms of average, the Australian was triumphant over Bumrah.

The head-to-head match-ups also have mixed results. Cummins in 12 ODIs against India has 19 wickets at an average of 28.78 and a strike rate of 36.1. Bumrah against Australia in this format has 17 wickets at 29.82 (higher than Cummins) and a strike rate of 35.2 (lower than Cummins).

Whatever turn this series takes, the battle between these two exceptional pace bowlers will be one to watch out for, especially with the Mumbai surface (where the first game will be played) aiding quick bowlers. There is little to separate Bumrah and Cummins in ODIs as the numbers suggest and we could be in for quite a spectacle as they go head-to-head again.

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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Indranil Mukherjee, Sajjad Hussain