Pakistan have the most lethal new-ball attack in the game: Gavaskar

Indian cricket legend, Sunil Gavaskar, believes that Pakistan have the best new ball attack in the world right now.

This assertion is firmly rooted in the exceptional performances of Pakistan’s pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah, who have been setting the Asia Cup 2023 ablaze with their skills. In terms of wickets taken in the tournament, Rauf leads the pack with an impressive 9 scalps, closely followed by Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi, both having claimed 7 wickets each.

Gavaskar, in a conversation with India Today, acknowledged that historically, Australia and Pakistan had often vied for the top spots when it came to the prowess of their new ball bowling attacks. However, he firmly believes that the present-day Pakistani contingent has surged ahead to claim the mantle of possessing the most lethal new ball attack in the cricketing world.

“At one point of time it was Australia and Pakistan probably shared that number 1 and number 2 spot because Pakistan have always had top-class new-ball bowlers. But at this point of time, they have the most lethal new-ball attack in the game," Gavaskar said.

“They have a left-arm, right-arm combination. They can move the ball both ways at good pace. So, it’s not easy for any batter to get aggressive against them from the word go," he added.