If Noman Ali had a Test career as long as Ravindra Jadeja's, would his stats be better than Jadeja's?

[FearlessRoar]

Representing Pakistan, we have Noman Ali, and for India, the ever-reliable Ravindra Jadeja. One is just starting to make his mark, and the other is a seasoned campaigner. But the real question is: If Noman Ali had a Test career as long as Ravindra Jadeja's, would his stats surpass Jadeja’s?

Let’s compare their stats so far:

Noman Ali has played 18 matches, claiming 73 wickets with a best of 8/46. His bowling average stands at 26.49, and he has taken 7 five-wicket hauls. He’s also contributed 97 runs with a batting average of 18.10.

Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, has played 80 matches, picking up 323 wickets, with a best of 7/42. His bowling average is slightly better at 24.14, and he has 15 five-wicket hauls. With the bat, Jadeja has scored 2,679 runs with a batting average of 34.74.

Noman’s impact in his short career is impressive—he has a fantastic average and already has 7 five-wicket hauls, which shows his ability to perform at the highest level. Jadeja has been a consistent performer over time, but Noman's standout performance against England with 8/46 shows his potential against top teams.

While Jadeja’s longevity gives him more wickets, Noman has already proven himself against teams like Australia and England in just 18 games. So, if Noman had a career as long as Jadeja's, could his stats surpass Jadeja's?

Will Noman Ali's quality over quantity take him to the top? Or does Jadeja’s all-round consistency make him the better player in the long run?

I’m curious to hear your thoughts—If Noman Ali had a Test career as long as Ravindra Jadeja's, would his stats sur
pass Jadeja’s?

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Noman Ali doesn’t have to have a short career, yes he’s 38 but he’s a spinner.

I would play him at home for another 5-7 years, that’ll probably allow him to play another 30 odd Test matches.

 

[Rana]

@shaz619

 

[shamaan]

Noman Ali doesn’t have to have a short career, yes he’s 38 but he’s a spinner.

I would play him at home for another 5-7 years, that’ll probably allow him to play another 30 odd Test matches.

I seen somewhere that he says he will play for another 2-3 years.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

I seen somewhere that he says he will play for another 2-3 years.

Can’t be, that’ll be just 3 test series’ at home.

 

[Justcrazy]

He is not same level as a batsman compared to Jadeja , but he has opportunity to improve.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Jadeja has better stats so far with more wickets. Plus he can bat better.

There's no comparison.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Noman Ali doesn’t have to have a short career, yes he’s 38 but he’s a spinner.

I would play him at home for another 5-7 years, that’ll probably allow him to play another 30 odd Test matches.

He's such a good spinner. Shan missed a trick by not playing him in South Africa. He can take wickets anywhere

 

[jnaveen1980]

Jadeja is an exceptional bowler on relatively flat wicket as well. In high scoring games he has done better. Doesn't get butchered by batsmen. Both Ashwin and Jadeja were the star bowlers in Champions Trophy 2013 in England. This is a comical comparison. Even in this match Warrican averages 10.10. Noman averages 13.

 

[Devadwal]

Noman is best spinner to Play test cricket .

Ab Khush?

 

[DeadlyVenom]

We should refrain from these type of criticisms.

Nomi is a youngster and we don't want to overburden him with high expectations.

Let him focus on his career. I hope he keeps his feet on the ground and doesn't get carried away by the hype.

 

[Devadwal]

We should refrain from these type of criticisms.

Nomi is a youngster and we don't want to overburden him with high expectations.

Let him focus on his career. I hope he keeps his feet on the ground and doesn't get carried away by the hype.

Noman ali is a youngster? What is the age of him?

 

[jnaveen1980]

N

Noman ali is a youngster? What is the age of him?

Meant to be sarcastic i believe.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Jadeja is just a decent spinner nothing special about his bowling to be very honest but he becomes an asset to the team thanks to his decent batting which is getting better with time and gun fielding. Also the fact that he bowls his overs rapidly like Shahid Afridi helps maintain a healthy over rate.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

[

Noman ali is a youngster? What is the age of him?

Was just kidding.

I don't like these comparisons. Jadeja won a lot of home series. Nomi has just won 1. Pakistan fans should keep their feet on the ground for now.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Jadeja is just a decent spinner nothing special about his bowling to be very honest but he becomes an asset to the team thanks to his decent batting which is getting better with time and gun fielding. Also the fact that he bowls his overs rapidly like Shahid Afridi helps maintain a healthy over rate.

yea. only when you compare him with Ashwin who has way more tricks up his sleeves. Had his moments in shorter format as well. Still the highest wicket taker for India in world T20 history. But he is very good on pitches that offer natural variation. If the ball is just turning sharply you don't even need Jadeja, Ashwin. Any random spinner can wreak havoc like Axar did against England in the pink ball test.

 

[Devadwal]

I wonder how are Pakistan fan's behaved if they are unbeaten at home for more than 12 year and won 17 consecutive test series.

 

[Bhaijaan]

yea. only when you compare him with Ashwin who has way more tricks up his sleeves. Had his moments in shorter format as well. Still the highest wicket taker for India in world T20 history. But he is very good on pitches that offer natural variation. If the ball is just turning sharply you don't even need Jadeja, Ashwin. Any random spinner can wreak havoc like Axar did against England in the pink ball test.

I respect Jadeja for maximising the opportunities and talent over the years. I remember this kid who entered international cricket from Under 19s and everyone was like what is the point of RJ, that he’s mediocre at everything. This guy just kept his head down and worked on his craft and his body as an athlete and Brock by brick he built what is now a very respectable international career. There is no shame that he’s no Shame Warne with the ball. No one is. But most people wouldn’t have thought he’d get this far either. It’s all down to his hard work and attitude. I’d respect for that and i always want more of these cricketers.

 

[jnaveen1980]

I respect Jadeja for maximising the opportunities and talent over the years. I remember this kid who entered international cricket from Under 19s and everyone was like what is the point of RJ, that he’s mediocre at everything. This guy just kept his head down and worked on his craft and his body as an athlete and Brock by brick he built what is now a very respectable international career. There is no shame that he’s no Shame Warne with the ball. No one is. But most people wouldn’t have thought he’d get this far either. It’s all down to his hard work and attitude. I’d respect for that and i always want more of these cricketers.

Ya.. Because he was a disciplined bowler upto a point. Not anymore though.

 

[Bhaijaan]

We have to be brutally honest about the fact that our spinners don’t just have a bad record in SENA but it’s downright disgraceful.

In SENA, Kumble averages 37, Jadeja 38, Harbhajan 40, Ashwin 41

In comparison, Warne 22, Murali 26, Mushtaq 28, Lyon 30, Maharaj 32, Saqlain 34

We can’t call ourselves knowledgable true fans of the game if we’re going to shamefully defend the blatant absence of impact from Bharatiya spinners in test matches abroad. All of them so called legends since the 90s have let us down big time.

 

[jnaveen1980]

We have to be brutally honest about the fact that our spinners don’t just have a bad record in SENA but it’s downright disgraceful.

In SENA, Kumble averages 37, Jadeja 38, Harbhajan 40, Ashwin 41

In comparison, Warne 22, Murali 26, Mushtaq 28, Lyon 30, Maharaj 32, Saqlain 34

We can’t call ourselves knowledgable true fans of the game if we’re going to shamefully defend the blatant absence of impact from Bharatiya spinners in test matches abroad. All of them so called legends since the 90s have let us down big time.

That is dishonest way of looking at it. Especially last 5 or 6 years India use 4 fast bowlers because we get that type of pitches. We dropped Ashwin 7 tests in a row in England. SA does not play at Durban in SA at all against India since Jadeja's 6 wickets because it helps spinners. IN the same matches Lyon and Ashwin bowled together in AUstralia, Ashwin has better numbers than him. It all comes down what kind of pitches you get overseas when India tours. Wear and tear won't happen until day 5 on such pitches. It is a deliberate ploy. In 2021 Ashwin was a real force.

 

[Bhaijaan]

That is dishonest way of looking at it. Especially last 5 or 6 years India use 4 fast bowlers because we get that type of pitches. We dropped Ashwin 7 tests in a row in England. SA does not play at Durban in SA at all against India since Jadeja's 6 wickets because it helps spinners. IN the same matches Lyon and Ashwin bowled together in AUstralia, Ashwin has better numbers than him. It all comes down what kind of pitches you get overseas when India tours. Wear and tear won't happen until day 5 on such pitches. It is a deliberate ploy. In 2021 Ashwin was a real force.

All said and done, the fact is Ashwin averages an embarrassing 41 in SENA and if James Anderson isn’t spared from being a less impactful pacer abroad same applies to Ashwin. He’s a legend but he’s not won us test matches in SENA or put us in situations to win tests in SENA. 1-2 wickets here or there doesn’t count. The man who has countless 5fers in Bharat does not have a single 5fer in SENA. There is no smoke without fire, i agree they should have given Ashwin more chances abroad they totally gave up on him, but it’s not like he gave the team management really strong reasons to pick him in SENA tests.

 

[jnaveen1980]

All said and done, the fact is Ashwin averages an embarrassing 41 in SENA and if James Anderson isn’t spared from being a less impactful pacer abroad same applies to Ashwin. He’s a legend but he’s not won us test matches in SENA or put us in situations to win tests in SENA. 1-2 wickets here or there doesn’t count. The man who has countless 5fers in Bharat does not have a single 5fer in SENA. There is no smoke without fire, i agree they should have given Ashwin more chances abroad they totally gave up on him, but it’s not like he gave the team management really strong reasons to pick him in SENA tests.

Ya. but if you don't play 50 to 60% of the match and most of the wickets are taken by seamers how will you take fifer? This is a nonsene metric. So you are going to ask your seamers "Please don't take wickets" leave something for me. For a period of 5 years Indian fast bowlers had the best SENA record in terms of average above SENA fast bowlers. Indian fast bowlers dominated where spin had hardly any role except on absolute roads.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Ya. but if you don't play 50 to 60% of the match and most of the wickets are taken by seamers how will you take fifer? This is a nonsene metric. So you are going to ask your seamers "Please don't take wickets" leave something for me. For a period of 5 years Indian fast bowlers had the best SENA record in terms of average above SENA fast bowlers. Indian fast bowlers dominated where spin had hardly any role except on absolute roads.

i get your point and i have said it myself in the past. But all said and done Ashwin wasn’t setting the world on fire in SENA. The limited cricket he played there he has a poor record there and i have mentioned many spinners above who all did better than him.

If the record itself is so poor, context doesn’t matter as much.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Ya. but if you don't play 50 to 60% of the match and most of the wickets are taken by seamers how will you take fifer? This is a nonsene metric. So you are going to ask your seamers "Please don't take wickets" leave something for me. For a period of 5 years Indian fast bowlers had the best SENA record in terms of average above SENA fast bowlers. Indian fast bowlers dominated where spin had hardly any role except on absolute roads.

His first point is valid though. There are numerous spinners who have fifers in SENA.

Moreover his average shouldn't drop that bad even if pacers get to bowl more away. If you are taking a wicket after giving away 20 runs at home. You should take a wicket away after like giving away 30 runs. But 40 runs per wicket is stretch a bit too much.

 

[jnaveen1980]

His first point is valid though. There are numerous spinners who have fifers in SENA.

Moreover his average shouldn't drop that bad even if pacers get to bowl more away. If you are taking a wicket after giving away 20 runs at home. You should take a wicket away after like giving away 30 runs. But 40 runs per wicket is stretch a bit too much.

You can make that argument only when India doesn't bowl team out cheaply. India does it with fast bwoler. THey don't even play Ashwin better spinner because Jadeja is a better btasman. You have 4 fast bowlers, pitch helps seamers. You expect spinner to take 5 wicket?

From 2015 till 2021. check the stat of fast bowlers in SENA (away/neutral) conditions.

 

[ElRaja]

they are both excellent left arm spinners, dont think theres a massive gulf in bowling ability between either. jadeja is in a different league with bat and fielding tho.

 

[Ab Fan]

Jadeja has done it over a period of 80 tests, Noman Ali 18 tests.

Sample matters a lot when talking about spinners.

Jadeja is a very good spinner and a good batsman. Overall a country great for his team.

Question here would be whether Noman Ali can maintains this form and plays some vital knocks or spells overseas? At the moment, Noman Ali and Axar Patel are comparable.

Jadeja’s comparison happens with Shakib and Stokes and he has gone past them in Test cricket. But if you read the words clearly I am not hyping him here and just saying overall a country great.

 

[Ab Fan]

Oh my goodness! Just checked Axar Patel’s stats.

Average of 35 with bat and 19 with bowl. Played 14 tests.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Oh my goodness! Just checked Axar Patel’s stats.

Average of 35 with bat and 19 with bowl. Played 14 tests.

It’s a joke as rightly pointed out by Mamoon. Every tom, dick and ganja has done it in the subcontinent. Virender Sehwag wrecked havoc when he bowled on our pitches and Dhoni used to intentionally under bowl him despite knowing he would turn it square just so that he could keep the confidence of Harbhajan and all intact.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Let’s not derail the thread, let’s stick to the topic.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Injustice with Noman chacho to get the opportunity this late, way better spinner than Jadeja. Jadeja is just a good darter.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Isn't Noman already 40

 

[FearlessRoar]

Noman Ali doesn’t have to have a short career, yes he’s 38 but he’s a spinner.

I would play him at home for another 5-7 years, that’ll probably allow him to play another 30 odd Test matches.

No he will be playing a maximum of 1 or 2 years. We have a 2-match home Test series against South Africa in October 2025 and then another 2-match home series against Sri Lanka in November 2026.

In overseas series I hardly see him playing for Pakistan, especially in England. But Pakistan might give him a chance in the Test series against Bangladesh in Bangladesh in March 2026.

 

[cricketjoshila]

So why didn't Noman Ali have a long career?

 

[Sher Khan]

So why didn't Noman Ali have a long career?

Pakistan domestic cricket used to have absolute green pitches where spinners were hardly required to bowl.

120kph medium pacers used to look like Glenn McGrath and James Anderson on those pitches. They used to roll over teams for like 80 all out.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Noman was always more talented.