Curtly Ambrose is a big fan of Jasprit Bumrah and despite the Indian bowler battling stress fractures in the past, the Caribbean legend would not like to change anything about his unorthodox bowling action as he feels every fast bowler enters the field with the risk of getting injured. Bumrah, who is currently the best all-format pacer in the game, has been battling back problems and underwent surgery in March last year. After a long rehab, Bumrah made a comeback ahead of the ODI World Cup in India in November and has not looked back since then.
The 30-year-old can take wickets at any stage of the game in T20 and in the longer format, he has the ability to take wickets with both new and old ball, especially with reverse swing.
In a telephonic interview with PTI, Ambrose said Bumrah should not change anything unless he suffers a serious injury.
“What I can tell you about Jasprit Bumrah is that I am a huge fan of his ever since I first saw him. He is very unconventional but extremely effective. And that is what I like about him. When you look at conventional fast bowlers, you will not look at Bumrah, he is very unconventional.
“He has done a fantastic job for India and is still doing well in all formats. I met him a few years back when India was playing in Antigua. I always enjoy watching him play because he is very different,” said Ambrose, who is involved in the promotion of the ongoing T20 World Cup here.
Bumrah’s open-chested bowling puts pressure on his back but Ambrose believes every fast bowler has to deal with such risks.
“From my little experience, there are no two bowlers who are exactly alike. Bowlers may have similarities, but they are never exactly alike and we all have our own individual styles, everyone is different.
“In terms of playing for a long time and injuries, there is always a risk of getting injured for every fast bowler. But at the same time you cannot go out there thinking like this,” he said.
“You have to go out there and give your best and whatever happens, happens. The only time he should make changes is if he gets a serious injury or has to alter his bowling action,” said the 60-year-old, who took 405 wickets in 98 Tests for the West Indies.
Ambrose, who has troubled the world’s best batsmen with the extra bounce he gets due to his 6’7″ height, also doesn’t believe that the strain on Bumrah’s back is only due to his bowling action.
He said, “I have never gone through this (stress fracture). So it would be unfair for me to say what I should do. I leave this to the medical experts. I don’t think Bumrah’s stress is entirely due to his action.”
“You can look at Ian Bishop, he had a perfect action and he also had a stress fracture,” the Antiguan cricketer said.
Too much cricket is being played, Test cricket is the real cricket
The international calendar is busier than ever and T20 leagues are taking up a lot of space around the world. Ambrose admitted that the game has changed a lot and too much cricket is having an adverse effect.
“The game has become too commercialised. There is too much cricket being played. Players are going from one series to another, there is franchise cricket. People can get tired.”
“It’s still exciting, there’s great players out there, but there’s too much cricket being played and that’s a bit of a worry for me,” Ambrose said.
You can achieve the status of a great only by excelling in Test matches
This dangerous fast bowler from Antigua has played a lot of limited overs cricket, but for him Test cricket is the only format which gives birth to great players.
“I have always preferred Test match cricket over anything else. I have played one-dayers, I have played four-day cricket, but for me that is not international cricket. For me, Test match cricket is the real cricket.”
“I believe that at the end of your career, if you have been evaluated, if you want to be great, you have to play Test cricket. You cannot become great by playing ODIs or T20s. There is talk of Test cricket ending, I don’t think so.
He said, “…people in power have to do something to make Test match cricket a little more attractive and we will succeed in that. But Test match cricket is not going anywhere.”
Ambrose was at his peak in the 1990s and he loved playing against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar. In modern-day cricket, he would have loved to test himself against Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Babar Azam and Kane Williamson.
“When I played, I used to face challenges. Every team had at least a few great batsmen. And you know, they had their own reputations as well. So for me, they bring out the best in me when I play.
He said, “Getting them out gives me more happiness than getting No. 9, 10, 11 out. You talk about these guys, they are great players (Kohli and Co.). It would be nice to play against them, but I have also played against some great players in my time.”
About the ongoing T20 World Cup, he is happy that smaller teams like the USA and Afghanistan are surprising the big teams of the game.
“Before the World Cup started I predicted some upsets and we have seen some so far. So, I am quite happy with it, it has made the tournament more interesting because all the big teams are participating,” Ambrose said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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