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‘Would’ve preferred facing Kapil Dev, Srinath and Prabhakar rather than Bumrah’ - Brian Lara
“I think I would’ve preferred facing Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath and Manoj Prabhakar rather than Bumrah (laughs),” Lara told Hindustan Times in an interview when asked whether he would have liked the prospect of facing Bumrah in his prime.
Former West Indies batsman Brian Lara heaped praise on Mumbai Indians fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and said he would have preferred to face an Indian attack comprising the great Kapil Dev, Javagarl Srinath and Manoj Prabhakar instead of an attack with Bumrah in it.
“I think I would’ve preferred facing Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath and Manoj Prabhakar rather than Bumrah (laughs),” Lara told Hindustan Times in an interview when asked whether he would have liked the prospect of facing Bumrah in his prime.
“But yes, the challenge would have been exceptional. You know, back in my day you had someone like Makhaya Ntini, who had a similar sort of angle to his delivery. So, there can be some comparisons to people I played against. I know I would not have backed away,” Lara added.
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Bumrah is currently the Purple Cap holder in IPL with 27 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 13.92 and an economy rate of 6.71 - all best among top five most successful bowlers in IPL 2020.
Lara said Bumrah and Rajasthan Royals’ Jofra Archer can be counted as the best in any era of cricket.
“Bumrah and Archer could stand up and be counted in any era of cricket. Whether they were playing in the 2000s, 90s, 80s or even the 70s, they would be up there. And I am not belittling anyone from the past. But these two would be in the echelons of fast bowling in any era I have watched, played in, or am still watching,” Lara said.
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Explaining the reasons behind the success of India pacers Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in both in the shortest and longest formats of cricket, Lara said they hit Test match lengths in T20s.
“Why Bumrah and Shami are so successful is because they bowl Test match lengths in T20s. You don’t see them overdoing the slower balls. They look to hit the seam, hit the stumps. Or they try to get the edge of the bat, bowl sharp and short balls and get batsmen in trouble. So, switching to Test cricket against Australia will be a very easy task for them,” Lara added.
