West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop, who could have played a lot more than 43 Tests and 84 ODIs if it wasn’t for injuries, feels it is too late for India's Jasprit Bumrah to change his action at this stage of his career and he can only be “managed” by picking and choosing tournaments amid the relentless schedule.
Bumrah, 29, underwent a surgery in New Zealand last month following recurring back issues that have kept him away from the game since September 2022. Now, he is racing against time to get fit for the ODI World Cup at home in October-November.
Bumrah’s “unique” action has worked wonderfully for him but it has also put a lot of load on his back, making him susceptible to injuries.
“Any fast bowler worth his soul can play all formats of the game all year and maintain his cutting edge pace, it is just too demanding. The sprint up and and down, the hamstring, the workload of the body. It has to be managed,” Bishop said.
“I don’t think there is any one recipe (to manage workload). Because we don’t decide on the minds and bodies of these outstanding athletes. That decision has to be made by the individual and administrators close to him but I will throw one thing out for governing bodies, it is just an advice. You can’t play these guys (Bumrah and Co.) in every tournament,” he said.
The 55-year-old from Trinidad is not only worried about Bumrah’s future, he is equally concerned for the likes of Jofra Archer, Anrich Nortje and Shaheen Afridi who too have battled injuries.
“With so much cricket going on, the players will have to start choosing most important tournaments. It is about how can a player secure his financial future and at the same time play enough to secure his cricketing legacy and help his country. “You want guys like Bumrah and Jofra playing at their best with cutting edge pace. That is what when they have great value. Be very meticulous and specific with when you want them to play,” he said.
In 2020, Michael Holding had expressed his doubts over Bumrah’s longevity considering he generates a huge amount of pace with a short run-up and a unique action.
For Bishop, changing action following injuries did not work and he believes Bumrah is past that stage too.
(PTI)
Sunder Katwala
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