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Ishant Sharma vs Shaheen Shah Afridi

Who is the better test bowler?


  • Total voters
    15

GirthQuake

U19 12th Man
How's Shaheen going to overtake Ishant if he keeps getting dropped and groundsmen in pakistan cannot dry the outfield quick enough?
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
Ishant Sharma vs Matt Henry would be a good comparison. Both were hyped up but terrible, but finally turned it around to be really good.
 

Kenneth Viljoen

International Regular
I think people have forgotten how woefully bad Ishant was
Yeah but Ishant Sharma improved massively with Indias change in attitude towards fast bowling..
A career of two halves :
07-13
149 wickets in 53 Tests @38.82

14-21.
162 wickets in 52 Tests @26.71

Also you have to consider the record of the two bowlers vs the SENA teams (Home & Away) , which brings the two bowlers closer ..

Shaheen Shah Afridi vs SENA teams

17 Tests - 52 wickets @37.21

Ishant Sharma
72 Tests - 195 wickets @35.78


Due to longevity and the second half of his career Ishant should be ahead of Shaheen Afridi who still has to prove himself against the best teams.
 

CodeOfWisden

U19 Cricketer
Ishant Sharma operated like an ATG bowler away from home during 2016 to 2020.
I know that we have to take full career for comparison but Ishant Sharma for me is a better bowler than Brett Lee in tests and there’s no way I am taking Shaheen over

Shaheen’s potential is also in question now because he has lost his pace and looks like a one trick pony.

The 2016 to 2020 phase of Ishant where we became an actual fast bowling powerhouse sets him apart from other bowlers with similar averages.

I remember in 2018 the Indian pacers quartet broke WestIndies quartets record of most wickets in a year, Ishant was a major reason for that.

From 2016 to 2021
Ishant Sharma averaged 22 against SENAW in away conditions, if we remove West Indies he avgd 23 in SENA.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Early career Shaheen over early career Ishant.

Although the way Shaheen is heading, it would be Ishant over their careers. Ishant became a genuinely ATVG bowler towards the last few years of his career.
 

Arachnodouche

International Captain
Ishant was a proper fighter. Hard to appreciate in the middle years because of how bad he was but the guy never gave in. Deserved something resembling a farewell.
 

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