The former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan has addressed the new ‘fab four’ in the pace bowling department, where he has included these two Indian pacers. A South African pacer and one of the two Australian pacers have found their place in the list of bowlers who are equally good in all forms of the game.
A decade ago, the former New Zealand captain, Martin Crowe, was the first person, who, coin the ‘’Fab Four’ term in the batting for Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, and Steve Smith. All of them, over the last ten years, have scored runs in various situations and different conditions in all forms of the game.
Zaheer Khan has kept those four fast bowlers, who have been successful over the last few years in various parts of the world, with different qualities and skill sets in them.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohmmad Shami are Zaheer Khan’s ‘Fab Four’ bowling
The former left-arm pace bowler, Zaheer Khan, was recently asked to make the ‘fab four’ of the current pace bowling unit, where he has decided to go with two Indians, Mohammad Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah, along with the speedster of the Proteas Kagiso Rabada, besides tossing the choice between the Australian captain Pat Cummins and their premier bowler Josh Hazlewood.
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Shami has, currently, out of action since featuring in last year’s ODI World Cup final in 2023 against Australia, after which he was added to the squad for the South Africa trip but was removed at the eleventh hour. The Bengal pacer had a successful surgery in February and missed the IPL 2024 and the T20 World Cup 2024, along with the ongoing two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home.
Jasprit Bumrah, perhaps, has been the head of the pace attack in world cricket for his incredible quality, delivering at any situation of the game in any format. He was the ‘Player of the Series’ when India went on to win their second T20 World Cup after beating South Africa in the final of the event in Barbados. He claimed 15 scalps in the tournament, besides holding a key position when they flew to Australia for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.
“India has been performing exceptionally well and has been part of two World Test Championship finals. India has done well consistently in all conditions. So, I would surely pick Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in my Fab Four.” Zaheer Khan expressed during a discussion on Cricbuzz.
“Apart from them, it would be Kagiso Rabada and Josh Hazlewood. Pat Cummins is also one of the contenders. These are the four or five bowlers who have made an impact in Test cricket consistently.” The former Mumbai pacer narrated.
The veteran also praised the current head coach of the Indian side, Gautam Gambhir, because of his passion for the game, along with his competitive spirit.
“When you talk about Gautam Gambhir, the hunger to win is very evident, and he is very passionate about cricket. These were the same qualities that made him a good cricketer, and he will look at the game in the same way as a coach, too.” The 45-year-old elaborated.
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The experienced pacer also highlighted how the qualities that made the World Cup-winning opener a successful player can turn him into a successful coach for the Blue Brigade.
“His playing style and the way he played cricket, you can also see that in his coaching. Yes, you will improve as you spend more time there, but the basic coaching style is very similar to your playing style.” Zaheer Khan concluded.