Wasim Akram hails Jasprit Bumrah as the No. 1 bowler in the world

Bengaluru: Pakistan’s fast bowling great Wasim Akram called the irrepressible Jasprit Bumrah the best fast bowler in the world now and completely backed the BCCI in taking extra special care of his workload as compared to others.

“The Indian bowling attack, they’ve showed time and time again, they are one of the best bowling attacks in the world and led by the number one bowler in the world right now, Jasprit Bumrah,” said Akram in an interaction organised by Sony Sports Network, the host broadcaster of the ongoing Asia Cup in UAE.

“I’m actually quite happy to see the way they’re managing his workload because it’s impossible for any human being to play three formats all the time because he’s a special bowler. He’s the number one bowler. And if he needs a rest, you give him a rest. So he got criticism, I remember. The last Test match, he opted out in England. But again, you have good enough backup bowlers to win. And look at (Mohammed) Siraj, the way he bowled. He bowled his heart out. He ran in, sprinted in every ball. So that’s the attitude Indian bowling has.”

While there’s no doubt Bumrah is one of the most feared bowlers in the world, constant injuries in recent years have led to suggestions that the Gujarathi should consider giving up a format or two that could give his battered body more recovery time. When asked what would be his advice to Bumrah, Akram said it’s purely the pacer’s call and nobody has a say in it.

“I think it entirely depends on him. Right now, the way the think-tank is managing him, it’s fine. You have good enough bowlers in the backup. Bumrah takes rest. Then you have people like Siraj, and you have 3-4 other fast bowlers who are very good. (Mohammed) Shami hasn’t been fit yet. There are quite a few fast bowlers there in India. So, I think it entirely depends on him. We can’t just decide for him and give him any suggestion or our opinion.”

Pakistan, like India did a few years, have adopted an attacking philosophy in T20Is and even made the bold call to drop Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan who were still stuck in the old-school of batting mantra. Akram felt its the right decision, considering the way T20s have evolved.

“I don’t want to discuss what his (Azam) future is. We have to support this Pakistan team, the squad they picked. It’s a young side, young captain. It will take time. But one thing I like about this team is, I think last series, the tri-series, I think they hit about 40 plus sixes in the whole series. It’s nine sixes per game.”

Akram also hailed the Indian cricket system that keeps producing gifted players without a pause.

“I think for the last 5 years, the way Indian cricket team is playing, they are the best side in the world. They won in Australia (in 2018-19, 2020-21). They won (drew 2-2 actually) in England recently. They (current crop) are very confident. They are not over-confident.”

(Watch the live coverage Asia Cup India vs Pakistan on Sept 14, 8:00 PM onwards on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 5 channels).