3 min readMar 12, 2026 06:33 PM IST
Former England captain Alastair Cook has questioned Jasprit Bumrah’s ability to run through sides and bowl spells like Stuart Broad’s 8/15 in the 2015 Ashes Test against Australia. The 40-year-old heaped praise on the Indian pacer, referring to him as the ‘best all-format bowler going around’, but raised doubts over whether he could take wickets and be economical at the same time.
“Is he the best in terms of match-winning spells in Test cricket? Without a shadow of a doubt, he is the best all-format bowler around, I think. I mean, you can safely say that. But has he, like, in a Test match bowled a spell like an 8/15, or is he not that kind of bowler?” Cook said on the ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast.
Bumrah’s best bowling figures in Test cricket came in 2019, when he took 6/27 in Jamaica, which also included a hat-trick. Overall, he has 16 five-wicket hauls in Tests, but has yet to record a 10-wicket haul, with 9/86 being his best bowling figures in a match.
‘Bumrah gets in any team like Messi and Ronaldo.’ 🙏
The team discuss the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah. pic.twitter.com/8ykE1fHqug
— Stick to Cricket (@StickToCricket) March 11, 2026
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Another former England captain, Michael Vaughan, said that Bumrah was the best bowler he had ever seen and had an aura similar to that of Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.
The T20 World Cup victory only furthers Bumrah’s status as one of the greatest cricketers India has ever produced. (PTI Photo)
“You’ve got to remember that I started watching or studying cricket in 1985, and he’s the best I’ve seen. He’s probably like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo — those kinds of players,” he said.
The 2005 Ashes-winning captain also said that if England had Bumrah in their XI, they could have won the T20 World Cup. “Put Jasprit Bumrah in England’s team, and they win it,” he said.
The 32-year-old took 14 wickets in the T20 World Cup, including figures of 4/15 in the final against New Zealand. It was his second T20 World Cup triumph, after featuring in the 2024 victory as well, where he was adjudged the Player of the tournament.
