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Australian great, Glenn McGrath reckons almost all bowlers need an off-season nowadays to get back in shape. McGrath added that India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who could only play three Tests because of medical advice, needs an off-season to manage his workload.
In the crucial series decider of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval, both India and England are playing without their star fast bowlers. India had to leave out Bumrah, who was rested to take care of his persistent back injury.
“His whole action is different to a lot of fast bowlers. He’s got a slow run-up and the last few steps just really accelerate him through the crease. He’s got hyperextension, and he’s just got a great wrist. And the way he releases it is a fair bit closer to the batsman because of his technique than all other bowlers. So, there’s a lot that’s unique about him, but when he gets it right, it just all comes together well. He’s found what’s worked for him,” McGrath said.
McGrath went on to explain why Bumrah gets injured frequently. He wants Bumrah to take a break even though India have a packed schedule.
“Unfortunately, what he does is pretty tough on the body. Especially when you’re playing a lot of cricket, there’s no time to have an off-season. He really needs to get a lot stronger physically and fitter to put up with the stresses of fast bowling. And he needs an off-season. It will get him strong through the season,” he said.
McGrath wants support for Bumrah
Because of Bumrah’s injury troubles, there are still discussions about whether India overused him during the Australia tour earlier this year, which kept him out until the middle of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the current series against England too, he played only three Tests but bowled maximum of the overs before struggling in Manchester. When asked if India could manage his workload better so he could play more matches, McGrath said Bumrah will need more support from the other fast bowlers.
“You want your best bowler bowling. And he’ll want to bowl all the time. If he’s just bowling in short spells, then the batting team know they just can get through the three or four overs and then they’re away. So it depends a lot on the other bowlers. You need another group of fast bowlers coming through to balance it out so that he doesn’t have to bowl long spells. You’ve got other bowlers bowling equally as well to carry the workload. You look at Bumrah, he’s so effective in ODI and T20 cricket. To limit himself to Test cricket would be a shame. But, he’s got to work out what’s best for him,” McGrath said.
McGrath on what kept him injury-free for better part of his career
England captain Ben Stokes, who is the leading wicket-taker in the series, is also not featuring at the Oval Test because of a shoulder injury. India had to rotate their seam attack for the final Test with Mohammed Siraj being the lone exception to play all five Tests.
Stokes, who is the second highest wicket-taker of the series, is also missing the Oval Test due to a shoulder injury. On the other hand, India had to rotate their fast bowlers throughout the series, with Mohammed Siraj being the only one to play in all five matches.
“Well, it’s important for a fast bowler to have an off-season,” McGrath, who picked up 563 Test wickets, said. “If you just keep playing year in, year out, I always say it’s like driving a car. And you don’t fill it up with fuel. But you keep driving it. Sooner or later, you’re going to run out of fuel, and things will happen. It’s the nature of the beast. Being a fast bowler, we put a lot of stress on our bodies,” McGrath said.
“Three things that I felt held me in good stead. One was I had a pretty good action, short delivery strides, so I wasn’t putting the stress on my body that other bowlers would. So I had a good action. Good genetics also helped. My bone density is really high, so that probably held me in good stead as well. And then work ethic off the field. Courtney Walsh played 21 years straight. Bowling, 21 years straight! Absolutely unbelievable. So, you’ve got to know yourself well and know what you need to do. But 99.9 per cent of fast bowlers need an off-season to get strong again, to get them through the next season,” he added.
McGrath on England pitches in ongoing series
In the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the pitches have mostly favoured batters, making bowlers from both sides work extra hard for wickets. Even so, all four Tests have gone down to the final session of the fifth day. McGrath said he has no issues with such pitches being used for Bazball, as they have still produced close contests.
“It’s been quite high scoring, which is a little unusual in English conditions with the Duke cricket ball. So it hasn’t been a one-sided affair. It’s been good, solid test cricket. It’s been enjoyable. It’s close. Obviously, they want the game to last as long as possible. I don’t mind if the pitches are a little flat, as long as there’s got to be something in it for the bowler. And if the game’s coming right down the wire on the fifth day, then it’s perfect, isn’t it?” the 55-year-old concluded.
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