Not just Shaheen Afridi: Reece Topley, Shoriful Islam, Sam Curran, Marco Jansen, these left-arm fast seamers can also trouble India | Cricket News

It was a bright afternoon at Oval in London and on one of the flattest decks in the world of cricket, Pakan scored a mammoth 338 in the first innings in the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. What unfolded in the second innings would become a horror show that would haunt the Indian batsmen and fans for years to follow in the ICC events.It was a left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Amir decimating the Indian top order with his swing, seam movement and most importantly the left-arm angle. It marked the beginning of a trend, which other teams would later follow to trouble the Indian batters and get success.
Indian batting’s vulnerabilities against left-arm seam are well documented and teams in the World Cup who have the luxury of a quality left-arm seamer would look to unleash them against the Indian top order.

Be it Trent Boult in Manchester during the 2019 50-over World Cup semifinal, along with Matt Henry, or Shaheen Shah Afridi in Dubai and Melbourne in 2021 and 2022 respectively. The left-arm seamers have been a thorn in the flesh for the Indian batting.
Apart from Mitchell Starc, Boult and Shaheen who are the obvious threats for Rohit Sharma’s side with the ball, let us take a look at some of the other bowlers who can trouble India with their left-arm angle in the World Cup 2023.
Reece Topley (England)
ODI career: Matches 26| Wickets 38| Average 26.81| Economy 5.21
It is fair to say that if not for his unfortunate injury during the IPL playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Topley’s stock was on the rise and he was on his way to becoming an elite bowler. The 29-year-old will be one of the major threats when teams play against England. He is quick, strong and can swing the ball. In addition to this, he also can hit hard lengths regularly, which can draw the batsman forward and force them to be in two minds – to play the ball or leave it.
The 28-year-old left-armer rolled his left ankle during a fielding drill in Brisbane on Monday ahead of England’s final warm-up match against Pakan. (File)
Topley has a stunning record against India as he picked up 12 wickets at an average of just 16.42. Who can forget his six-wicket haul against India last year at Lords defending just 247 runs? He picked up wickets with the new ball and then later came back in the middle overs to break the partnership and finished the tail which shows he is a threat in all phases of play.
However, one positive thing for India is they will take on the defending champions England in Lucknow, which is a pitch known not to swing much but can help bowlers who do possess good slower ones. We only have to wait and see after the refurbishing of the pitch, if it starts to swing and seam a bit then it did earlier. If it does, Topley will be a handful on this surface to deal with for Rohit and Co.
Shoriful Islam (Bangladesh)
ODI career: Matches 21| Wickets 33| Average 24.84| Economy 5.37
The Bangladeshi bowler’s new-ball burst against Pakan in the Asia Cup, defending just 193 runs, was a joy to watch. The line and lengths he bowled under the lights that day were impeccable. Though in the wickets column, there is not much to show for him both Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman found it difficult to lay a bat on the ball.
Shoriful can not only swing the new ball but also can bowl at a brisk pace of around 135 KPH. Against Sri Lanka in the Super 4 clash in Colombo he was not effective with the new ball, however, he came back for his second spell with the old ball and bagged two wickets in the middle overs with his deceptive slower ones.
India will take on Bangladesh in Pune. The surface here has traditionally assed seamers with the new ball. Shoriful is yet to play an ODI against India and will make his debut against the hosts in the World Cup. India traditionally has also had a poor record against bowlers whom they haven’t faced before. Given all the factors Shoriful may give the Indian batters a proper test.
Sam Curran (England)
ODI career: Matches 26| Wickets 28| Average 36.78| Economy 5.89
Though Curran is not an orthodox new-ball bowler he too can swing it. However, his strength lies with the old ball and at the death where he can slip in slower balls, a yorker and a sharp bouncer which hurries onto the batters. He is not gifted with express pace like his fellow Englishman Topley but does possess unique skills and on top of that. Despite having all the tricks, Curran could never perform at his best against the Indians so far. He picked two wickets in three games (all in India) at an average of 69.00 against The Men in Blue. Those are pretty average numbers for a seasoned campaigner like him who also has an IPL gig going and understands the conditions. Nonetheless, he still is a quality bowler and has won the Man Of the Tournament in the 2022 T20 World Cup for a reason and the Indian thinktank needs to be wary of him.Most Read
1
Watch this Space: Chandrayaan-3 sleeps as US Space Force punches a hole in atmosphere

2
Canada’s defence miner expresses concern over measures taken India

See More

Marco Jansen (South Africa)
ODI career: Matches 14| Wickets 18| Average 38.22| Economy 6.23
The tall lanky fast bowler is a familiar face to Indian cricket fans due to his appearances for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. The 6’8’’ fast bowler can extract bounce irrespective of the pitch he plays on and he is lethal with the new ball. Adjusting to his delivery release point might be something the Indian batting contingent has to prepare before the game.
However, Jansen in two outings against India is yet to pick a wicket. But India will take on South Africa in the Eden Gardens. The new ball does swing at this venue hence Jansen may be able to extract quite a bit from the surface. However, the catch is whatever the damage he can do he has to do with the new ball as once the ball gets older the Kolkata surface becomes best for batting. In addition to that apart from the new ball skills, Jansen’s bowling in middle overs and at the death is a work in progress if the surface does not ass him.