Captaining India in his comeback series against Ireland and showing consistency by leading India's pace attack at the Asia Cup, Jasprit Bumrah regained top form just in time to announce his successful return at the grandest stage of them all - the ICC World Cup. On Sunday, the senior pacer of the Men In Blue complemented veteran pacer Mohammed Shami to spark a batting collapse of defending champions England in the low-scoring encounter at the ICC World Cup.
Joining forces with an on-song Shami, speedster Bumrah heaped more misery on Jos Buttler and Co. as the reigning world champions suffered another heavy defeat in the ongoing edition of the ICC event at Lucknow's Ekana Cricket Stadium. After India hammered England by 100 runs in match No.29 of the ICC World Cup, legendary Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram was quick to hail fast bowler Bumrah as the best in the business.
'Bumrah is the best in the world right now'
Talking about India's bowling masterclass against England on A Sports, the former Pakistan skipper explained why Bumrah is a cut above the rest. “He is the best in the world right now. Top of the ladder! The control, the pace, the variations, just a complete bowler. A treat to watch. With the new ball, to get this kind of movement on this kind of pitch … pace, carry, follow-through… you name it he’s a complete bowler," Wasim said.
{{/usCountry}}Talking about India's bowling masterclass against England on A Sports, the former Pakistan skipper explained why Bumrah is a cut above the rest. “He is the best in the world right now. Top of the ladder! The control, the pace, the variations, just a complete bowler. A treat to watch. With the new ball, to get this kind of movement on this kind of pitch … pace, carry, follow-through… you name it he’s a complete bowler," Wasim said.
{{/usCountry}}“When Bumrah is bowling to a left-hander from around the wicket and hits the ball on the seam… And when he’s bowling from wide of the crease, the batter will think the ball is coming inside. He will play for that angle, but the ball hits the pitch and moves away rather than coming in. Most of the time, you are going to be beaten. When I used to bowl outswingers like that to right-handed batters with the new ball, sometimes I couldn’t control the ball also. But Bumrah definitely has better control with the new ball than myself,” Wasim further explained.
'Steal his bowling spikes!'
Akram observed that Bumrah is creating uncertainty for the batters with his new-ball burst at the World Cup. The former Pakistan skipper also joked about how the opposition batters can mount pressure on an in-form Bumrah. “The length where he bowls with the new ball is what creates uncertainty for the batters. Bumrah ka ek hi ilaaj hai uspe pressure daalne: uske spikes chori karlo. Aur koi hal nahi hai (There’s only one way to put pressure on Bumrah. Steal his bowling spikes. There’s no other cure),” Wasim joked.
'Why Bumrah is more lethal than Pakistan bowlers'
Bumrah shared seven wickets with Shami as India bowled out England for 129 in 34.5 overs at Lucknow. The star fast bowler dismissed the likes of Dawid Malan (16), Joe Root (0) and Mark Wood (0) in the recently concluded encounter. Bumrah leaked 32 runs and picked up three wickets in 6.5 overs against England.
Averaging 15.07, Bumrah is the second-highest wicket-taker at the ODI World Cup in India. The fast bowler has bagged 14 wickets in 6 World Cup games. “Why Bumrah is more lethal than Pakistan bowlers, because he plays more Test cricket, while our bowlers they don’t play in the longer format enough,” Akram added.