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Former Aussie pacer Lee was full of praise for a 31-year-old Indian fast bowler who has picked up 53 wickets in 10 Test matches played so far in Australia.
Brett Lee praises 31-year-old Indian star, calls him ‘world class’. (Picture Credit: AFP, AP)
Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has reserved big praise for Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been in red-hot form in the ongoing five-match Test series between India and Australia. The 31-year-old Indian seamer sits at the No. 1 position in the ICC Test bowler’s ranking, and in three matches played so far in the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah has picked up 21 wickets. He accounted for the dismissal of eight (5+3) batters in the series opener played at Optus Stadium in Perth last month and then got rid of four Aussie stars in the first innings of the day-night Test in Adelaide. In the third Test, which concluded on Wednesday, December 18, at The Gabba in Brisbane, Bumrah finished with figures of 9 for 94 in 34 overs.
He was the standout performer for India in the match, which resulted in a draw due to rain in the capital city of Queensland state in Australia.
Impressed by Bumrah’s performance, Lee, while speaking on Fox Sports, said that the Indian cricketer from Ahmedabad, who made his international debut in 2016, is ‘world class.’
“He is world class, Jasprit Bumrah. Unfortunately, they had no Mohammed Shami, but I think the backing of Mohammed Siraj—there has been a bit of conjecture around him—but I think he has bowled really well,” Lee said.
“In my opinion, they have an attack that has some good pace bowlers, but the reason why people say or think he is shouldering the whole load of the attack is that he is so good. He (Bumrah) is miles ahead of any other bowler, and that is no disrespect to the other bowlers going around, but that is how good he is,” he added.
Since making his Test debut against South Africa in Cape Town on January 5, 2018, Bumrah has played 10 Tests for India in Australia and has 53 wickets to his name. Bumrah, who is India’s most successful Test pacer in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries, is also India’s most successful Test bowler in Australia. He broke Kapil Dev’s record of 51 Test wickets in Australia on Wednesday by getting rid of Marnus Labuschagne during Australia’s 2nd innings of the Brisbane Test.
