Former England captain Michael Vaughan has expressed his admiration for Jasprit Bumrah after the Indian pacer’s impressive performance in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup final against the New Zealand national cricket team in Ahmedabad last Sunday.Bumrah produced a historic spell, returning figures of 4 for 15 in the title clash. In doing so, he became the first fast bowler to take four wickets in a knockout match in the history of the tournament. The performance also took his tally to 40 wickets in all his T20 World Cup appearances, the most by a fast bowler, while maintaining an impressive economy rate of just 5.66.
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During a discussion on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Vaughan made a bold claim, saying that Bumrah is the best bowler he has seen in all the years he has followed the game. The former England captain went to the extent of comparing the Indian speedster to international football stars
Lionel Messi
And Cristiano
Ronaldo
highlighting the kind of impact he can have on the team.
“Put Jasprit Bumrah in the England team and they will win it,” he said.Former England batsman Mark Butcher quickly agreed with the assessment.“I think if you put him on anyone’s team, he’ll win it.”“Exactly,” Vaughan added. “He’s probably like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, that kind of player.”However, the conversation took an interesting turn when former England cricketer David Lloyd reminded Vaughan of his previous statement.
“Didn’t you say he’s the best football player you’ve ever seen?” Lloyd asked.Vaughan stood firm.“Yes, it is. You have to remember that I started watching or studying cricket in 1985, and it is the best I have ever seen.”Another former England captain,
Alastair Cook
offering a slightly more measured perspective. While acknowledging Bumrah as the leading all-format bowler in world cricket today, Cook questioned whether the Indian pacer had delivered a truly special match-winning spell in Test cricket.“Is he the best in terms of match-winning spells in Test cricket? Without a doubt, he’s the best bowler in all formats, I think. I mean, you can safely say that. But has he, say, in a Test match bowled a spell like 8/15, or is he not that kind of bowler?” he asked.But Vaughan quickly defended Bumrah’s record.“I’ve seen it a bit in Australia. Some of the spells were different – and that too on flat surfaces.”Interestingly, statistics indicate that Bumrah has already delivered several outstanding performances in the longest period. The Indian pacer has taken eight or more wickets in a Test match on eight occasions, six of those efforts coming on tough overseas tours of England, South Africa and Australia. On three of those occasions, his performances also led to him being awarded Player of the Match.