Wasim Akram urges Jasprit Bumrah to play County Cricket
Wasim Akram rated Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the best Indian bowler in the current setup, and felt Jasprit Bumrah should play county cricket to improve his red-ball skills.
Bumrah did not have a great start to his Test career when he leaked easy runs in the first innings of his debut game against South Africa in Durban in January. He, however, learned his lessons fast to register his first five-wicket haul in the third Test in Johannesburg. He finished with a match analysis of 7 for 111 as India secured a 63-run win. India lost the series 1-2, but their performance in the final Test, on a pitch that was rated “poor” by the International Cricket Council, earned them rave reviews.
Michael Holding, a television commentator for the series, felt that Bumrah might not be that effective during India’s Test series in England this year as he is more of a hit-the-deck bowler. Akram, who took 374 wickets for Lancashire in 91 first-class matches, said that Bumrah could improve with county experience provided he is ready to forego his lucrative deal with Mumbai Indians by not opting to play in the Indian Premier League.
“I agree with Mike that you can’t hit the deck on English surfaces but that would only come with experience. Look, the BCCI doesn’t allow the Indian boys (who represent the country in both Test and limited overs format) to play county cricket,” Akram told PTI on the sidelines of the St. Moritz Ice Cricket Tournament. “If Bumrah plays at least one month of county every year, trust me, he will be a better bowler. But then Indian board has to tell Bumrah ‘forego a month’s IPL and play county cricket’.
“He has had a good start to his Test career after starting off as a T20 specialist. So, it’s a kind of change in mindset that is slowly happening for him,” he added. “If people are talking about not having an outswinger, I won’t be bothered much. But if Bumrah can learn how to straighten the ball after pitching coming from wide of the crease, more often than not it will be his wicket-taking delivery. He just needs to use a bit of wrists for that.”
Bhuvneshwar’s form in South Africa was terrific. Dropped for the second Test after taking six wickets in the first, he made a strong statement with the bat and ball in the final game.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the most impressive pacer in South Africa as far as my assessment goes,” Akram said. “He was getting the ball to swing both ways. And with increased pace now, he has become all the more effective.”
While Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah laid the foundation for the Johannesburg Test win, Mohammed Shami hastened the proceedings with four late-order wickets. He returned figures of 5 for 28, helping India wrap up the game with a little over a day to go.
Akram felt that there was scope for improvement for Shami. “Shami is a good bowler, but sometimes I feel he is a bit laidback,” he said. “As a fast bowler, irrespective of the match situation you should just sprint in and try to hurry the batsmen who have front foot trigger movement.
“During his run-up, Shami, at times, tends to take small strides before the final load up to the crease. Now when he is in rhythm, his strides are correct and equally measured but (the) moment he gets a bit wayward, his strides get smaller. It should always be the opposite,” he elaborated. “When the length of the stride decreases, a person’s bowling action doesn’t get completed. The force that is generated from the back goes missing and one loses out on a lot of pace.”
Akram, who picked up 916 international wickets over 19 years, said Shami’s knee will always be an “issue”, and recommended him to work on the lower body.
“He (Shami) is a strong lad and has played fair amount of international cricket to know how he should be working on his body, so he can play for India for at least ten years.”
https://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-news/akram-urges-bumrah-play-county-cricket/291791
