Jasprit Bumrah or Naseem Shah? Babar Azam picks the bowler to defend 10 runs off last over

With a repertoire of yorkers, slower balls, and pinpoint accuracy, Jasprit Bumrah consistently delivers under pressure, often turning the tide of matches in his team's favour. Be it for the Indian team or for his IPL franchise, the Mumbai Indians, he has delivered time and again and might be one of the best bowlers going around for quite some time. Bumrah's knack for thriving in high-pressure situations, coupled with his unwavering focus and calm demeanour, cements his status as one of cricket's premier death-bowling specialists, a title earned through years of dedication, hard work, and exceptional skill.

Bumrah's latest exploits date back to the ODI World Cup 2023, which had him scalping 20 dismissals in 11 matches, making him the joint-fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. In the ongoing edition of the marquee tournament, Bumrah has an impressive economy rate of 6.12, which is stellar, to say the least. It's but obvious that most captains would go with Bumrah for closing out a run-chase by stifling the opposition, but that was apparently not the case for Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, who gave a differing view on a recent podcast appearance. 

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Babar was asked whom amongst Naseem Shah and Bumrah would he turn to if 10 runs were required to be chased down in a must-win T20 match, to which Babar preferred the former without a shred of uncertainty.

"One over, T20 match, you have to win the match, you have two options to defend 10 runs, whom will you give the last over, Naseem Shah or Jasprit Bumrah?", Babar was asked.

"Naseem Shah," Babar responded.

We don’t often see talent like this in Pakistan: Babar on Naseem

Further praising the 21-year-old, Babar was pleased with how Naseem made a comeback post-injury in terms of on-field performance as well as his recovery during the period. Babar praised the extraordinary competency of Naseem, stating that talents akin to him are hard to come by in Pakistan. 

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Firstly, I felt so happy for Naseem, for the way he returned to cricket after injury and the way he recovered. His skills are exceptional. We don’t often see talent like this in Pakistan," Babar added.