A once-in-a-generation fast bowler like Jasprit Bumrah shouldn’t be playing all three formats in order to avoid injuries and prolong his career, feels World Cup-winning Sri Lankan pacer Chaminda Vaas.
Vaas stressed that Indian selectors and team management must carefully choose the right formats and adapt strategies to keep a tab on Bumrah’s workload management.
“Players like Bumrah have a unique action, and we must protect individuals of such calibre. They can’t play in all formats. We need to identify the suitable format and manage their participation accordingly,” Vaas told reporters here on Friday.
Bumrah recently returned to action after a long injury layoff and surgery. The speedster is crucial to India’s quest for World Cup glory at home.
Speaking about the Indian batters, the left-arm pace great said that both skipper Rohit Sharma and the peerless Virat Kohli will come out all guns blazing to win the World Cup for India.
“We all know that Virat is a special player and the way he performed in the last decade is extraordinary. Even Rohit... I’m pretty sure that they will give their 100 per cent playing for India. All the fans are waiting to see these two performing. And I’m sure that they will go all out trying to do well for India,” said Vaas.
Ranatunga furious
Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga has called the International Cricket Council (ICC) a “toothless tiger”.
“ICC is a toothless tiger. They act very unprofessionally. I think they are the ones who should protect cricket. Ultimately, cricket should be controlled by the ICC and not by a country. In the Asia Cup, you had rules and you changed rules for one game. So where is ACC? Where is ICC?,” said Ranatunga in a sarcastic tone.
“So I will not be surprised if for the World Cup, they have a separate rule for the Indo-Pak game. This is bad. India is powerful no doubt but then the ICC officials are quite comfortable, happy putting coat and tie and hanky and going to meetings,” he added.
The World Cup-winning skipper was reacting to the Asian Cricket Council’s move to add a reserve day only for the India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup in Colombo. “I am not very comfortable when you have a tournament, where you change rules for one team. You are looking at a disaster.”
With inputs from PTI
