Cricket in the Indian subcontinent has not only seen exceptional spinners but also terrific pacers. During the 1990s, Pakistan boasted a range of legendary pacers like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar. Back then, the Indian cricket team was more reliant on its batters. However, from the time Virat Kohli became the Indian cricket team captain in the mid-2010s, a renewed effort was made to nurture effective and lethal pacers. The result is the emergence of players like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.
This also gave rise to social media debates on whether Bumrah is better than Wasim Akram. Now, the Pakistani cricket great himself has answered the question.
"Jasprit Bumrah is a wonderful bowler. He has an odd action, has pace, and credit to the Indian cricket board for the way they manage him and their mindset. Comparisons between the 90s and now are impossible. He is right-handed and I am a left-armer. We keep social media debates—Begano ki Shadi Me Abdulla Diwana. Neither I care nor he cares. They are fighting among themselves. He is a modern-day great. I was in my era. I did my job. He is a very impressive bowler, I must say," said Akram on GEOTV's Haarna Mana Hai show.
Wasim Akram talking about Bumrah's greatness and the useless comparision b/w 2 great bowlers of different eras in his latest interview #Bumrah #WasimAkram #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/4lBJhlcVTN
— Cover Drive (@day6596) August 31, 2025
Recently, Wasim Akram, Pakistan great and one of the most lethal pacers in the history of the game, was impressed by Mohammed Siraj's show in England and termed his performance as “the best" he has seen in the recent past.
"I rarely watch cricket when I'm not working, but I was glued to the last day. Siraj was full of hunger and passion – it was an incredible effort. To bowl nearly 186 overs across five Tests and still be that fiery on the final day shows remarkable stamina and mental strength. He's not just a support bowler anymore. He's leading the attack and doing it with heart. Even when a catch went down– that of Brook – he didn't lose focus. That's the mark of a fighter. Test cricket is alive and kicking," Akram said in an interview to Telecom Asia Sport.
