Will his back support him? Shoaib Akhtar on Jasprit Bumrah

Former Pakistan express pacer Shoaib Akhtar has implied that Jasprit Bumrah’s back may not be able to withstand the load that is put on it and also added that the Indian pacer has to be extremely careful considering the number of matches he plays.

Shoaib Akhtar voiced his opinion viewing the current fast bowling outline around the world during a chat with Aakash Chopra on the latter’s YouTube channel.

Aakash Chopra asked Shoaib Akhtar if the likes of Jofra Archer, Pat Cummins, and Jasprit Bumrah would last for a long time, deeming that they play in all three formats of the game apart from the T20 leagues.

“I think Cummins has come back after injuries. He has come back strongly in the last couple of years. You have a peak in your fast bowling where you have a margin of 2-3 years in which you take 100-150 wickets,” Shoaib replied.

“And then you break down again. Break down has to happen. A joint is working abnormally, how long will it work? After some time it has to give way. To survive that, you need to rest and recuperate and train,” he added.

Shoaib Akhtar observed that Jofra Archer’s pace has already lowered considerably while debunking Michael Vaughan’s opinion that he himself was not unfailingly fast.

“If you see Jofra Archer, he is not going over 140 kph. I heard Michael Vaughan say that even Shoaib didn’t use to bowl consistently that fast. That’s wrong. My average speed even after lunch was 150 plus. So, I used to finish around that speed only,” Shoaib stated.

“I feel Cummins is an asset but I don’t think Jofra Archer will last for a long time. Already his pace is coming down after 5 Test matches,” he added.

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Shoaib Akhtar on Jasprit Bumrah

Shoaib Akhtar praised Jasprit Bumrah for the hard enclosures he puts in and his eagerness to play grueling Test matches despite having a difficult action.

“Bumrah has difficult action. He cannot play in all formats. It is his braveness that he showed his skills in Test matches. He is a very hard working guy and is very focused. He knows where he wants to go.” Akhtar said.

Shoaib Akhtar raised question marks on the Indian bowler’s back being able to uphold the burden over a long period.

“But will his back support him. Till when will his back withstand that much load. It had to break down. I was watching his matches before he broke down. I was telling my friends that he will break down.”

“They told me that it was just 4-5 steps run-up. I told them it is not a question of steps but about loading during the delivery stride, his back will not be able to sustain that much. A niggle will happen and that’s what happened. I think he broke down after a couple of Test matches. He has to be very careful and his captain. Because you get very few such talents,” he added.

Jasprit Bumrah was rested low by a back injury before the 2019 South African tour to India. However, he did come back early this year, he was not at his looming best in India’s last away series against New Zealand.

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