“The thing I’ve thought about Bumrah, after the series finished and I was sitting and thinking about his performances, I actually think he’s the best fast bowler ever across all three formats,” Clarke told ESPN.
“I know a lot of great fast bowlers, Curtly Ambrose, Glenn McGrath, didn’t get to play T20 cricket, so I’m not talking about those guys, but in regards to anyone who has played all three formats, I think he might be the best ever.
“He’s actually that good in any conditions, that’s what makes him great; any conditions, any format, this guy’s a freak.”
Clarke believed that India would have won the decisive Sydney Test had Bumrah been fit to bowl in the second Australian innings. The stand-in skipper picked up an injury on the second day fo the game and was taken to the hospital for a scan.
Bumrah returned to bat the next morning but was deemed unfit to bowl because of a back spasm. The hosts successfully chased down 162 with six wickets in hand and clinched the series by 3-1.
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“I reckon India were probably 20 runs short (in Sydney),” Clarke said.
“I reckon a 180 lead, with Bumrah in the team, I think India are home. I think Bumrah is that good… he’s so much better than the other bowlers they had in the team.”
Bumrah snatched 32 wickets at an average and strike rate of 13.06 and 28.3 respectively in the series, whereas Mohammed Siraj was the next best bowler in the Indian ranks, picking 20 dismissals at 31.15.
