Former Sri Lanka medium pacer Farveez Maharoof reckons Jasprit Bumrah’s injuries are inevitable, irrespective of his training. Maharoof wants Indian cricket to look after the gun fast bowler and keep managing his workload with guile.
Bumrah played all the five Test matches on the Australian tour and his body finally gave up in the fifth Test match at Sydney. Maharoof said fast bowlers are always prone to injuries as their back, knees, and ankle takes a lot of load while delivering the ball.
Bumrah has a short run up and he mostly bowls above 140 kmph. Maharoof recalled that Bumrah only had the inswing in his arsenal when he first burst on the big stage for the Mumbai Indians however he has now added outswingers to his rich repertoire.
The Gujarat pacer recently played three out of the five Test matches against England and he has received widespread criticism.
“I think his action (on what makes him effective) and ability now. I remember when I played against Jasprit in the Champions League, around 2013 or 2014. What I remember of him then and what I see now is a big difference. Gone are the days when he was, for example, just an inswing bowler to right-handers. Nowadays, he has developed an effective outswing as well. If you ask 90% of the batters around the world, apart from India, who the most difficult bowler to face in any form of the game is, they say Jasprit Bumrah. That’s similar to how Wasim Akram was seen in his prime,” said Maharoof while talking to India Today.
Bumrah has had his fair share of injuries in his career so far and Maharoof said the BCCI must manage the fast bowler’s workload.
“He has done wonderfully well, but unfortunately, he keeps getting injured because of his back issues. Being a fast bowler myself, I understand what he is going through. It’s important for him as well as the BCCI to manage his workload carefully going forward because Jasprit Bumrah is one of a kind. Players like him don’t come into the system very often, so when he’s there, it’s crucial to maximise his international career. People have to understand that every time a fast bowler delivers a ball, more than three times their body weight goes through their body. This puts immense stress on the back, knees, ankles – everything,” he said.
Maharoof reckons Bumrah was overbowled on the Australian tour and there were always going to be repercussions.
“It’s a day-to-day struggle that every fast bowler faces. When you do this repeatedly over a long period, it takes a toll. For example, Jasprit played all five Tests in Australia and bowled tirelessly for many overs. That’s the after-effect that contributed to his injury in Sydney. No matter how much fitness training you do, or how fit you are, injuries are inevitable because fast bowling is the hardest job in cricket. As a fan of Jasprit Bumrah, I just hope he keeps improving, continues to wear the national jersey, and maintains his hunger to play lots of cricket, which is a very good sign. I also hope he is well looked after, especially when it comes to managing his workload,” Maharoof concluded.
Bumrah will be seen in action in the upcoming Asia Cup.
