Zaheer Khan, an erstwhile fast bowler from India, has chosen his top five ODI bowlers, with Bumrah being conspicuous by the omission. Former spearman for destructive bowlers, Zaheer achieved 282 dismissals in 200 ODIs from October 2000 to August 2012, speaks highly of Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath, Waqar Younis, Chaminda Vaas, and Dale Steyn.
While speaking about these players on a show by Cricbuzz, Zaheer said, “There are so many international bowlers around me that have really made a big impact on this. Wasim Akram was obviously one very impactful bowling voice in this format, with his variations, those yorkers, going around the wicket and over the wicket, using those slow balls. In this format, he has had a huge impact.”
Akram has played 356 matches for Men in Green and claimed 502 wickets: He was the first bowler in ODI history to collect 500 wickets.
“Another name which I really looked up to was Glenn McGrath. With the accuracy that he possessed, the simplicity in his actions, and the extra bounce with the new ball, it is something which was quite evident throughout his career, across all different formats.”
“Let’s talk about Waqar Younis. You talk about his strike rate; you talk about impact. If you look at his numbers (416 wickets in 262 ODIs) also, they are really remarkable, and especially the number that is shocking is the number of wins he has taken in his career: thirteen five wicket hauls. So, the impact was phenomenal in terms of having that ability to strike.”
“He wasn’t afraid of going for a few runs; perhaps that’s one attitude they should inculcate in this era of bowlers,” Zaheer said.
On Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka and Dale Steyn of South Africa, Zaheer said, “Chaminda Vaas is another bowler who I feel should always be in that bracket. His impact, as we have all seen, was primarily with the new ball. Under subcontinental conditions to be able to maintain that accuracy, simplicity in approach, he managed to exercise great control through his line-length, accuracy, and consistency.”
“He was someone everyone knew who would be threatening and dip in pace with those fast outswingers, which created that degree of impact. He used to get through his crease tremendously fast and had real impact,” Zaheer said.
