Cricket News
Top five most lethal dream bowling combinations of international cricket
What if two great bowlers were paired together, how would that turn out for the batters?
Cricket is considered a batter’s game where bowlers do the hard work of running in and bowling to them all day long. However, some bowlers give a hard time to the batters as they trouble them with their numerous variations. There have been many top bowlers in cricket history who had it in them to bowl out an opposition single-handedly. But what if they were paired with another bowler of similar ability, how would that turn out for the batters? On that note, let’s pair some great bowlers from both past and the present era of cricket to create some lethal bowling combinations:
Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar, Brett Lee (Source: Twitter)
Both Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar were the most feared bowlers in the cricketing world in their playing days. Having both of them running in one after the other would’ve been nothing short of a nightmare for the batters. They had brought many great batters down on their knees through their speedy bouncers. Both also had the tremendous ability to bowl perfect Yorkers and knock the stumps out. Akhtar and Lee together would arguably be the most feared bowling pair ever in the history of cricket.
Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen Afridi, Jasprit Bumrah (Source: Twitter)
Jasprit Bumrah has been the most valuable talent found in the Indian T20 League. After making his debut in 2016, Bumrah quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the top bowlers in the world. The right-arm seamer has the ability to bowl impeccable Yorkers at any stage of the game. Apart from that, he has numerous variations up his sleeve to be a lethal option in limited-overs cricket.
Like all Pakistan fast bowlers, Shaheen Afridi is also blessed with raw pace. The seamer has a remarkable ability to make full use of the new ball by swinging it both ways. Afridi’s inswingers to the right-handers from over the wicket are capable of deceiving even the top batters in the world. The pair of Shaheen and Bumrah will surely make many batters shiver if they end up bowling together.
Dale Steyn and James Anderson
Dale Steyn, James Anderson (Source: Twitter)
Dale Steyn is a complete package when it comes to fast bowling. He is aggressive, bowls at a lightning speed and has tremendous control on the swing. The speedster ruled the Test bowler’s rankings throughout his career.
James Anderson is one of the best swing bowlers to have ever graced the game of cricket. The seamer has got better with age as his numbers have seen a remarkable improvement all across the world. There’s hardly any bowler in international cricket who has better control on swing than Anderson. The combination of Anderson and Steyn will turn out to be a pair that most batters dread facing. They will have to counter two completely different bowlers which will put their technique to a test like never before.
Shane Warne, Anil Kumble
Shane Warne, Anil Kumble (Source: Twitter)
Warne and Kumble were two magicians who could make the ball dance to their tunes. Warne could turn the ball a mile and bowl magic deliveries out of nowhere keeping the batters on their toes all the time. On the other hand, Kumble had a great ability to stick to one line and length and make the batter finally make a mistake. Having Warne and Kumble bowl together will leave the batters dumbfounded on most occasions as they will be left guessing what’s coming their way next.
Wasim Akram, Glenn Mcgrath
Wasim Akram, Glenn Mcgrath (Source: Twitter)
Wasim Akram and Glenn Mcgrath are ranked among the top 10 fast bowlers of all time to play cricket. Mcgrath had immaculate control on his line and length and was asking questions to the batters. On the other hand, Akram was one of the greatest proponents of swing bowling. He brought the art of ‘reverse swing’ in international cricket and used it to his full advantage throughout his career.
Having Mcgrath and Akram bowling together would be like unleashing two hungry tigers onto the opposition. If the duo ever ended up bowling together in their prime, they would’ve had a fierce competition between themselves regarding who will pick more wickets.
