In a Twitter interview, Bond said that Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah as his favourite Indian players, and Dale Steyn as the best bowler of this generation
Former New Zealand speedster Shane Bond has rated Australia as the team with the most devastating set of fast bowlers in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.
Though Australia bowled out their opponents New Zealand and Bangladesh in their Group A matches, they could not garner maximum points as both ended in ‘No Result’ due to rain. Their pacers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, John Hastings and Patrick Cummins have taken a combined tally of 14 wickets with medium-pacer Moises Henriques also accounting for one.
Answering Twitter questions via video arranged by the International Cricket Council, the 41-year-old yesteryear fiery bowler said on Tuesday: “As much as it pains me to say, Australia have the best set of fast bowlers in the current tournament. They have genuine quicks and a left-armer who bowls some toe-crushing swinging yorkers. Hazlewood and Starc (are) probably the best opening combination in the world. If I have to pick one team with the most devastating and quickest bowling attack, it will be Australia.”
Bond also rated Hazlewood, who took his career best 6/52 against Bangladesh in their tournament opener last week in Birmingham, and Starc as top fast bowlers of the current generation.
But he reserved his best all-time fast bowler for South African Dale Steyn.
To a question, Bond said: “The best fast bowler of this generation is Dale Steyn. I know he is probably coming towards the end of his career. His record is on par with the great bowlers from the past. Having faced him, he was pretty frightening. Post Steyn, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are outstanding bowlers and doing a great job for Australia. But, if I have to pick one across all eras, Dale Steyn of the present era is a sensational bowler.”
Bond, who picked up 87 wickets from 18 Tests and 147 sticks from 82 ODIs besides 25 scalps from 20 T20Is for New Zealand in a career spanning from 2001 to 2010, found Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist and AB de Villiers as the three toughest batsmen he bowled to.
“Sachin Tendulkar had all the shots, Adam Gilchrist just tried to smash me and AB, he had so much time and regardless of how fast you bowled, you felt like you are in slow motion. Three great players but all different challenges,” Bond, who is Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach, said.
He picked his IPL franchise players Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya as his “three favourite Indian players” and chose India, England, South Africa and his nation, New Zealand, as the four semi-finalists.
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