Pakistan's legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar wants to see better management of Jasprit Bumrah's back injury, saying that the India pacer is very exceptional been needs to take care of himself and change his training regimen to make his back muscles more flexible in an exclusive interview with Sports Tak.
Bumrah has been missing from action since September 2022 and is out of commission for the next six months after undergoing surgery in New Zealand a few weeks back. Akhtar explains the reasons for his recurring injury and said that he has been overplayed leading to such issues.
"Because of his action, all the load is taken by his spinal cord. We are bowlers who use the side on or the hip or thighs. Unfortunately, he does not have this leverage. When he plays so much cricket, it is obvious that his action is not that sustainable. There will be issues with his actions," Akhtar told Sports Tak.
Bumrah has been India's frontline bowler for almost five years. He is in a fight to get fit in time for the ODI World Cup hosted by India in October-November and Akhtar gave advice on how Bumrah can manage his injury. "But it could have been managed better. He also should have managed it better.
"He should think about which formats he wants to play in. If it were me, I would tell him to play three of five ODIs, and only the crucial ones. Still, the pressure (on his back) will be the same, but he is playing two matches lesser so that will help."
Akhtar added that swimming would have opened his back muscles and made him more flexible. "I would have made Bumrah do 500 laps of a swimming pool in one month in his heydays. This would have made him flexible and this is the best exercise. He needs more training and lesser matches."
"The more exceptional bowlers need to manage themselves, like Bumrah. More time in the water, in the gym, stretching and weights, so that his muscles can become more flexible. Bowlers like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis bowlers 500-600 overs, just for Pakistan. And in one season almost 600-700 overs," said the legend.
Akhtar was in Doha representing the Asia Lions in the Legends League Cricket (LLC) Masters. He won the final against the World Giants to lift the coveted trophy.
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