Home
India pace-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management has been a debate which hasn’t seen its end yet. Many questioned why Bumrah played three Tests in England. There have been plenty who have come in support of Bumrah. Another one to join the list is former Sri lankan cricketer-turned-commentator Russel Arnold. The 51-year-old drew parallels between Bumrah and his former teammate and bowling coach at Mumbai Indians (MI), Lasith Malinga. Arnold said that while India have depth in their bowling attack, Sri Lanka did not enjoy such luxury which eventually led to Malinga leaving the red-ball format.
“With Lasith Malinga, there were lots of injuries initially that he needed to manage. His body had to rotate in very different ways. And bowling so many overs in a Test match just didn’t allow him to continue – his knees would get locked, and he would need to give his knees and body rest after bowling a few overs. It did work in the shorter formats, but a decision was made for the longer format rather than him dropping down for good,” Arnold told Sportskeeda.
Arnold said that Malinga wasn't fit towards the end of his career. But, he feels that the bowler with slinging action was still better than the rest. He lauded the Indian team management for using Bumrah judiciously, prolonging his career.
“Bumrah is also a tremendous player. Workload management is a good thing, but the positive for India is that they’ve got depth. They have a lot more to offer than what Sri Lanka had in that period. Lasith Malinga started with Vaas, Dilhara Fernando. But Sri Lanka did not have that quality with which they could have mixed and matched and rested Malinga for longer. Which is why, towards the end of his career, Malinga wasn’t fit. If you notice his last few years, even in the IPL, he was not at his best because of his physical status. He struggled, but he was still better than the rest. That’s the type of players these bowlers are,” Arnold said.
“So for you to use Bumrah, when you want him for the most important games and tournaments, then you do have to look after him and keep the energy going. Because you want him to be sharp. Even on the mental side of things, you get tired and jaded and you end up going through the motions. You want to be fresh, where you make good decisions and are able to jump on moments to win your team a game. So that’s what India are able to do with Bumrah because of the depth they have. And they should use that and prolong and get the maximum of Bumrah and the other players to win matches,” the former Sri Lankan batter further added.
Arnold on need to have similar setup in Sri Lanka
Arnold also pointed out how Sri Lanka need to do the same to develop fast-bowling depth. He even took Wanindu Hasaranga's example who has had his struggles with injuries.
“The key is to also stay fit. A lot of these bowlers are in and out because of injuries. So if you can keep them fresh and are able to use them without compromising your results, that’s when you are in a good position. That’s where India find themselves in. Whereas, the problem for Sri Lanka with their quick bowlers – Hasaranga also gets injured quite frequently now – it does not allow you to continue the way you want. So they do need to build on depth and make sure these players stay fit and not bowl down to the ground,” the Colombo-born batter said.
“And players will get better and settle in. If you bring in new players, sometimes we make the mistake of looking for results or comparing them to the greats when the greats were great. But the greats, when they were starting, were probably in a similar position. It was probably covered by the senior players who were performing. In a transitional period, you need your seniors to really keep firing, so that the younger ones settle in. And the main thing is, if you are getting the results, there’s no panic, and you like what you see, you are able to stay patient even if that younger player is taking time to settle in,” he explained.
Easy win for Sri Lanka
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka got off to a good start in the T20 Asia Cup 2025. They beat Sri Lanka by six wickets after restricting them for 139/5. Nuwan Thushara and Dushmantha Chameera got rid of both openers whereas Hasaranga struck twice.
ADVERTISEMENT
