Jaspit Bumrah is among Mark Waugh's Top-5 T20I players

MELBOURNE: Australian great Mark Waugh has included India's pace-bowling mainstay Jaspit Bumrah in his list of five cricketers who he thinks are the best T20I players in the world.

Waugh is confident the 28-year-old Bumrah, ranked 45th in the ICC T20I bowling ranking, will fire during the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia next month.

"I think he's a fantastic bowler in all formats, actually," Waugh said of the Bumrah, who has had to miss a couple of white-ball series of late to tend to his old back injury.

"His ability to get wickets in T20 cricket is key. He can bowl at the death and he can bowl up front," added Waugh.

The former all-rounder, known for his top-order blitzkrieg and athletic fielding in the slip cordon, also picked Pakistan quick Shaheen Afridi in his top-5.

"To open the bowling at the other end we'll go with another great opening bowler, Shaheen Afridi from Pakistan, who is a tremendous left-arm fast bowler," Waugh, a member of Australia's 1999 Cricket World Cup-winning squad, said on ICC.

"He's a wicket-taker. He sort of lifts the team. He's a guy that other players follow. He is a left-armer so that's another point of difference. He can swing the ball back into the right-hander, he's quick as well, so I've got him number two," added Waugh about Afridi, ranked 19th among bowlers.

The other three Waugh picks include Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan (fourth in the T20I ranking for bowlers), England skipper Jos Buttler (T20I batting ranking 15th) and Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (T20I batting ranking 29th, all-rounder ranking 6th). IANS

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