Jasprit Bumrah and Wasim Akram.
(Photo Source – Getty Images)
Legendary Pakistani pacer, Wasim Akram recently lauded Jasprit Bumrah and spoke about why he is a truly exceptional bowler. Akram’s revelation comes after the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, where Bumrah showed why he is considered one of the most formidable bowlers in modern-day cricket.
Leading India as a stand-in captain, Bumrah delivered a match-winning performance with an outstanding spell of 8/72, playing a crucial role in India’s 295-run victory against Australia.
According to Akram, Bumrah’s unique bowling mechanics, his extraordinary release point, which is approximately 34 cm ahead of the popping crease is a crucial factor. Akram spoke about a stark difference to most bowlers who typically release within 10 cm of the line. These additional 24 cms create a significant advantage, making the ball appear to hurry toward the batter in an almost unpredictable manner.
“Bumrah’s bowling arm comes from behind (the shoulder) the hyper-extension and in the end as we say in Punjabi “tunka” flick of the wrist that makes the ball skid which as a batsman you don’t expect specially on the wickets where the ball is keeping low, he has troubled the batsmen of that action which is natural and it is very tough to flick the wrist in the end,” he said in a video posted by Star Sports.
No batter is 💯confident when they see #JaspritBumrah rushing at them! 😅#JaspritBumrah’s wrist action and skidding of the ball makes it unplayable for Aussie batters! 😁#AUSvINDOnStar 👉 2nd Test | FRI, 6th DEC, 8 AM only on Star Sports 1 | #ToughestRivalry pic.twitter.com/D59tfKyRIx
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 27, 2024
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His deliveries skid after pitching: Wasim Akram
Akram pointed out that Bumrah’s delivery release point can vary by almost 40 cms, creating a substantial difference in pace and trajectory. This makes his deliveries skid after pitching, adding more issues for batters trying to read his bowling.
“The release point of Bumrah’s delivery also differs by almost 40 cms and that makes a quite a big difference at this pace and that’s why his deliveries skid after pitching,” he added.
In the Perth Test, Bumrah came up with a crucial five-wicket haul in the first innings, giving India a small but significant lead of 46 runs, and then following it up with three more wickets in the second innings, including the prized wicket of Travis Head.