Jasprit Bumrah is the best cricketer in the world at the moment: Paul Collingwood ahead of IND vs ENG T20 World Cup semifinal
Former England captain Paul Collingwood believes Jasprit Bumrah is the best cricketer in the world at the moment. According to Collingwood, Bumrah could walk into any team across any format because of his skill level.
In six matches of the ongoing T20 World Cup, Bumrah has picked up as many as 11 wickets at a mind-blowing economy rate of just 4.08. In almost every game, the pacer has been difficult to get away and continues to be invaluable to the Men in Blue.
Speaking on Star Sports Press Room, here's what Paul Collingwood had to say about Jasprit Bumrah:
"I think if you had a piece of paper and had to pick a cricket team, in any form of the game, Jasprit Bumrah would be the first name going on that list right at the top. It's as simple as that. He's the best cricketer in the world at this moment. The skill level, the pace, the deception that he has in T20 cricket is incredible."
England beat India in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal comprehensively by ten wickets. However, the Men in Blue didn't have Bumrah available in that game. They would be hopeful that this time the star speedster makes the difference and gets them through to the final.
England will not look to play out Jasprit Bumrah: Paul Collingwood
While Paul Collingwood hailed Jasprit Bumrah for his sensational performances, he is confident that England will look to attack the star speedster and not play him out. Collingwood feels that if Bumrah has an off day, it could create panic in the Indian camp.
On this, he stated:
"If they (England) can take down that spearhead, if they can take down that linchpin, the effect it has on the opposition is huge, and that's the kind of mentality that England will have to have. They won't be taking the conservative approach here, they won't be looking to just see him off, you saw Travis Head get after Bumrah a couple of times, in the Australia match."
Collingwood is well aware that taking that approach comes with an element of risk as it would give Bumrah the opportunity to make early inroads into the England batting,