Donald also described Bumrah as the Master of the Yorker.
Legendary South African cricketer Allan Donald has heaped praise on India’s premier speedster, Jasprit Bumrah, and Proteas star Kagiso Rabada, saying the two are arguably the world’s best fast bowlers across three formats of the game currently.
However, Donald was more impressed by Bumrah for his excellence with the ball in both Test and white-ball cricket. He was completely bowled over by the Indian bowler’s ability to adapt to all formats and bowl with the same brilliance in all three formats of the game.
In the recent Test series between South Africa and India, Rabada finished as the highest wicket-taker with 20 scalps from three Tests, while Bumrah managed 12 wickets.
In the first ODI that was won by South Africa by 31 runs in Paarl, no other Indian bowler could make an impact, but Bumrah returned with two wickets in Paarl on January 19.
Donald told The Telegraph: “Two blokes who I would keep at the top across all formats are (Kagiso) Rabada and Bumrah. But the one who would stand out in terms of all formats is Bumrah. His adaptability to all formats is just crazy and everyone talks about him. He has sublime skills in all formats of the game.”
Praising Bumrah, he added: “I was watching him bowl the other day. Especially how he delivers the ball after a stuttering run-up and releases the ball is simply crazy. He has got a magnificent wrist turn-over that no one else has presently in the game. It just can't go wrong for him.”
Describing Bumrah as the Master of the Yorker, Donald said that the Indian bowler will always be in his XI in all three formats.
He signed off by saying, “His ability to bowl yorkers any time in all formats also stands out. He also knows when to bowl that yorker in Test cricket. He's an absolute gun for me in all formats. I don't think I've seen such steel in a young fast bowler. When he first came on to the scene, I thought, 'Wow! This guy has got real pace'. And now, he's one guy whom I would always have in my team across formats.”