Shoaib Akhtar on Jasprit Bumrah: On one hand, Australian batsman is scared of the name Jasprit Bumrah in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, while on the other hand, former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has advised the Indian star player to quit Test cricket. Yes, you might be surprised to hear this, but the reason given by Rawalpindi Express is also surprising. Akhtar even said that if he had been in Jasprit Bumrah’s place, he would have played only in shorter formats.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has shared his opinion saying that Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah should consider quitting Test cricket and focus on the shorter formats instead. He has also given the big reason behind this.
Bumrah should leave test cricket: Shoaib Akhtar
Let us tell you that Jasprit Bumrah is currently on fire in the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. He played an important role in the historic victory in Perth and was also awarded ‘Man of the Match’, but according to Shoaib Akhtar, Bumrah is not that dangerous in this format.
Speaking on TNKS Podcast, Shoaib Akhtar said that Bumrah’s skillset is better suited for the shorter formats due to his ability to use line and length correctly. However, he believes that Bumrah struggles in Tests because the batsmen are less aggressive, making it difficult to take wickets.
Shoaib Akhtar said, “You know, in Test cricket you have to bowl long spells. Batsmen do not try to attack you. If the ball doesn’t seam you struggle. When you start struggling the team will start asking questions. I think he is a good enough fast bowler to take wickets in Test cricket. Although he could not do anything special in the Test series against New Zealand, but this keeps happening. If he wants to continue playing Test cricket, he will have to increase the pace. There is a high risk of getting injured in the process of increasing speed. If I were Jasprit Bumrah, I would have been limited to shorter formats.
Jasprit Bumrah’s test career
Let us tell you that even though Shoaib Akhtar is raising questions on Jasprit Bumrah’s Test cricket, if we look at the statistics of the star bowler, his words do not hold any weight. Bumrah, who made his Test debut for India in 2018, has played 42 matches so far and has taken 185 wickets at an impressive average of 19.96. It is not that during this period he has missed many tests due to injury. Team India management has managed Bumrah’s work load well.
