Perth. One of the world’s greatest fast bowlers, Jeff Thomson, says Jasprit Bumrah cannot afford to play all three formats for long if he has to prolong his career. One of the best fast bowlers in the world in contemporary cricket, Bumrah has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to an injury. He may have to be out for a long time due to a back injury.
The stormy pacer of his time, Thomson believes that it is up to Bumrah to decide which of the three formats he wants to play. Thomson told PTI that Bumrah puts a lot of burden on his body because he plays in all formats and in that case he gets injured. Now it is up to him to decide what he wants to do. He said that the audience wants him to play in limited overs cricket. He comes to the stadium to see him bowling in limited overs cricket. One has to bowl only 60 balls in ODIs and 24 balls in T20 depending on which format he plays.
Thomson said that in Test cricket he would need to bowl 15 overs in a day. You can very well understand in which format you should play to prolong your career. The way the World Cups are being held every year, limited overs cricket has become no less important.
Thomson said it is up to Bumrah to decide which format is right for him as any fast bowler is only at his peak for 10 years. He said that in a player’s career, you can only bowl at your peak for a decade. That’s why it’s important to go beyond emotions to find out what’s right for you. What is it so that your career progresses in a better way and what is it so that you can serve your country for a long time.
So what does it mean that Bumrah should play in the limited overs format as he is more popular today. Thomson said it depends on what the audience wants and what they want. If people want him to bowl in limited overs cricket for India and if he can help India win the World Cup then why should he leave the limited overs format for other formats. He said that he will have to decide how he can serve India for a long time. This decision should be factual, not emotional.
