ICC T20 World Cup 2022: 'Because Bumrah plays all formats, he is bound to get injured' - Thomson
India is playing the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup without Jasprit Bumrah, who is out with a back stress fracture. Meanwhile, Jeff Thomson feels that the pacer would become injury prone if he keeps playing all formats.
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FollowIndian pacer Jasprit Bumrah cannot afford to play all three formats if he looks to prolong his career. Also, burdening the body with too much cricket will keep him injury-prone, says legendary former Australian pacer, Jeff Thomson. Bumrah, easily one of the world's premier fast bowlers in modern cricket, missed the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 due to a stress fracture on his back. It will likely keep him away for months. Thomson, who hurled 95 mi/h thunderbolts with an unorthodox slinging action in the '70s and '80s, wants Bumrah to take a call on which of the three formats he would like to retire from.
"Bumrah puts too much weight on his body, and because he plays all formats, he is bound to get injured. It is now upon him to decide what he wants to do," Thomson notified PTI. Call it being politically correct, but no player worth his salt would ever say that he wouldn't play Test cricket and opt for Twenty20s (T20s).
"The crowd wants him to play white ball cricket and comes to the stadium to see him bowl in white ball cricket. It is just 60 balls (ODI) or 24 balls (T20), depending on which format he plays. In Test cricket, he needs to bowl 15 overs in a day. You can understand well which formats he needs to play to prolong his career. And with World Cups every year, white ball formats are no less important," explained Thomson.
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But, with an International Cricket Council (ICC) event pencilled in the Future Tour Program (FTP) for the upcoming seven years, the pace ace wants Bumrah to weigh in all realistic prospects. "In a player's career, it is only a decade that you can bowl at the top. So, more than emotion, it is about what works for you. What makes your career work better and what helps you serve your country for longer," said Thomson, with 200 Tests wickets in 51 contests.
But does that mean that Bumrah has to opt for white ball formats because that is more popular in today's time and age? "It is about what the crowd wants and what he wants. If people love to see him bowl for India in white ball cricket, and he can help India win World Cups, why should he give up on white ball for other formats? That he can't play all formats is evident to everyone because of how many times he gets injured," Thomson considered.
But obviously, it is an individual call and one that should be based on what the head says rather than what the heart tells you to do. "It is up to him to decide how he can carry on to serve India for longer. It is a reasoned and not an emotional call," affirmed Thomson.
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For someone whose javelin thrower-like arch and ability to dislocate batters' toes with fiery yorkers (he called them 'sand shoe crushers') back in the day had no hesitation in admitting that overall fast bowling standards have declined. "I tend to agree with you on this. I will give you an example. We all know the yorker is the best ball to bowl at the end of an innings. Have you seen a single fast bowler bowl yorkers consistently?" Thomson asked.
"Why can't they bowl 4-5 yorkers in an over? Why is it that a half-volley or an easy ball follows a yorker to hit? I say it is about bowling the right areas or lengths. Unless you have that consistency, the standard of bowling will inevitably decline," added Thomson. While Thomson's bowling was very muscular, all-pace or nothing stuff, he believes that nowadays, a virtue pace, swing or seam can't let you sustain for a long time in international cricket.
Above everything else comes the mindset, which can be the trump card in elite sports. "Suppose you are bowling to a perfect batter like Virat Kohli. It would be best if you believed you could get him out. If you don't believe that you can get his wicket, no amount of pace or swing can help you," Thomson assessed.
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A fast bowler also needs to carry that attitude and aggression in his game which can intimidate the opposition. "As a fast bowler, you should also have the attitude of one, and that's key to success," admitted Thomson.
But pace alone can't bring success
"It is not just about one thing. You can have all the pace in the world, but you need to learn how to bowl the right areas to get anywhere. Again, you can move the ball but must understand the right length to bowl. Swing won't help you. Add your mindset to it," Thomson resumed.
History tells us whether it was Ray Lindwall-Keith Miller, Fred Trueman-Brain Statham, Wasim Akram-Waqar Younis or, for that matter, Thomson and Dennis Lillee, fast bowlers who have always hunted in pairs. Does it help if the pacers strike an excellent partnership just like batters?
"It does because the pressure built from both ends helps immensely. If the pressure is released from one end automatically, the bowling unit will have a problem. So, if you hunt in pairs, it makes a huge difference for the team," concluded Thomson.
(With inputs from PTI)
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