Cricket legend Brian Lara has some important advice for the Bangladeshi batters who will be facing Jasprit Bumrah in their T20 World Cup Super 8 clash on June 22. Bumrah has been a standout bowler in the T20 World Cup so far, consistently delivering impressive performances. Bumrah has proven himself to be a reliable bowler for India, rescuing them from difficult situations. He was instrumental in their win against Pakistan and had another exceptional night against Afghanistan, bowling a spell with a high number of dot balls and taking crucial wickets. Overall, Bumrah has been incredibly economical, conceding very few boundaries throughout the tournament.
‘Jasprit Bumrah is a World-Class bowler’: Brian Lara
Lara is clearly impressed by Bumrah's skills, even jokingly offering to get him a passport so he can play for the West Indies team.
"I'll put you down on it. I think Jasprit Bumrah, obviously, is a world-class bowler. He is the best bowler in the world, but there are quite a few. I think I mentioned it a couple of days ago that if he wants to stay in the Western east, we can organise a passport, he can organise a place for him to stay, and he can play for the West Indies in the rest of a few years, you know, but just a humour I think he is world-class," Lara told Star Sports.
Bumrah's performances have been a nightmare for opposing batsmen. They've found it nearly impossible to score runs off him, and those who've tried to be aggressive have only ended up getting dismissed. This is reflected in his exceptional economy rate – the lowest among bowlers who've played at least four matches in this T20 World Cup. Brian Lara understands this challenge well. He believes that attacking Bumrah is a risky strategy for Bangladesh. Instead, he advises the batsmen to play cautiously and focus on survival.
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"I think what other players or other batters or other captains and managers, and you just have to do is understand that they don't have to go against Jasprit Bumrah. If Bangladesh want to succeed against India, they can't go after him. It's as simple as that. If you do, you're going to bury yourself," he added.
Brian Lara then went on to place Jasprit Bumrah among some of the bowling greats. This elite company includes legendary fast bowlers like Glenn McGrath, Curtley Ambrose, and Wasim Akram. By mentioning these names alongside Bumrah, Lara acknowledges his exceptional talent and compares him to some of the most respected bowlers in cricket history.
"And he's that good, and you know, it will trigger your patch bonus like that. The McGraths, the Ambros, Wasim Akram, he's just one of those top class bowlers that are going to go down in history as one of the greats. Then you want to try and take him out and that's the opera," Lara concluded.
Bumrah ran riot with the ball in India's Super 8 clash against Afghanistan, picking up three wickets and conceding only seven runs. This is the most economical spell by an Indian bowler in the tournament so far. Bumrah surpassed the previous record held by Arshdeep Singh, who took 4 wickets for 9 runs against the United States of America. Bumrah also bowled a maiden over and finished his spell with figures of 4-1-7-3. The pace spearhead will look to carry on the same momentum when India take on Bangladesh.
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