"Don't think you can look at changing his action" - Ian Bishop on Jasprit Bumrah amid his frequent injury troubles
Former West Indian pacer Ian Bishop believes it's no longer possible for Jasprit Bumrah to change his action and that he has to make do with an existing one. The 55-year-old believes the Indian pacer must find a way to combat his injuries like England's Mark Wood has.
Bumrah's back injury has kept him out of action since September 2022 and hasn't recovered well enough to play cricket at the highest level. The right-arm pacer is reportedly targeting a run during the 2023 World Cup on home soil in October-November.
Speaking to PTI, Bishop recalled how Wood worked on his advice from Michael Holding and that it seemed to have made a difference. Instead of changing his bowling action, the cricketer-turned-commentator reckons Bumrah must find a way to perform regardless. He said:
"Everybody has got a unique way in how they formulate their action and Jasprit is more unique than most others, so I think he has got to use the physical gifts he was blessed with fine tune it as he goes along. It is a tough one? How do you change? Mikey Holding is like a father figure to me and I know he spoke to Mark Wood about extending his run-up to alleviate the exacting force on his body compared to a shorter run. Mark has done that and it seems to have assisted him. So Jasprit is going to find his own way. I don't think you can look at changing his action."
Bunrah is arguably one of the first-choice pacers for India across formats. The 29-year-old's absence has hurt the Men in Blue on numerous occasions in recent times, especially during the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
"You can't play these guys in every tournament" - Ian Bishop on top fast bowlers
While Ian Bishop feels it's on the bowlers' willingness to pick and choose about the format they wish to play, he declared that workload management is equally critical. The Trinidadian explained:
"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 down, the hamstring, the workload of the body - it has to be managed. I don't think there is any one recipe. Because we don't decide on the minds and bodies of these outstanding athletes. The decisions has to be made by the individuals and administrators close to him but I will throw one thing out for the governing bodies, it is just an advice. You can't play these guys in every tournament."
Bumrah's absence has also crippled Mumbai Indians' bowling attack in the ongoing Indian Premier League season.