West Indies legend Michael Holding feels worried over the longevity of Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, because of how much load he puts on his upper body to deliver at the pace he does without any lengthy run-up.
Bumrah, in fact, hardly runs in towards the crease and yet, bowls well in excess of 140-145 kmph, as his shoulders and ribs bear a lot of pressure.
"My problem with Bumrah and I mentioned it to him, when last time I saw him in England, is how long that body will hold up with that short run and the amount of effort he has to put into in his bowling, it is a human body. It is not a machine," said Holding on the 'Sony Ten Pit Stop' show aired on channel's Facebook page.
Bumrah had to miss cricket for the majority of last year post the 2019 World Cup in the UK because of a back stress fracture and didn't look as threatening on his comeback, something that can perhaps be put down to the lack of rhythm after such long hiatus from the game.
However, that awkwardly short run-up and stressful action also have a few of their advantages, as Holding mentioned. "Bumrah hits the deck hard and that creates more problem. And especially with that short run, it is difficult for batsmen to formulate in their minds the pace at which that ball is coming," he said.
"People talk about bowlers who hit the deck hard and bowlers who just skid off the surface. Malcolm Marshal, for instance, great fast bowler, he skidded the ball off the surface, more than hitting the deck."
Apart from Bumrah, another Indian pacer that Holding keeps a track of his Mohammad Shami.
"It is important to have pace, but you have got to have control as well and both of these (also Bumrah) guys have control. Shami is not very tall, is not extremely quick, but is quick enough. And he has the control and he moves the ball around a bit," said the 'whispering death' himself.
"You don't find Shami spraying the ball all over the place. When you spray the ball all over the place, batsmen get relief, watching those balls go away."
"If you are constantly (bowling) in the right areas, attacking these batsmen, it creates more and more pressure and they are more liable to make mistakes. So that is Shami's real strength," Holding added.
(Inputs from India Today)
