Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has heaped rich praise on India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who bamboozled England with his pace and swing in Match 29 of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Lucknow on Sunday.
Defending a low total of 229, India bowled out England for 129 thanks to the fiery opening spells from pacers Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
Bumrah grabbed a couple of scalps up front before Shami took charge and took a four-wicket haul to derail England's run chase on a pitch which was more helpful to the slower bowlers and spinners than the pacers.
Bumrah does early damage vs England
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Bumrah started the damage with the wickets of opener Dawid Malan and Joe Root off successive deliveries which dented England early on in their innings.
Shami, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja then combined to take the next 7 wickets before Bumrah came back for his final spell and wrapped up the match by sending back England's last batter Mark Wood with a perfect yorker.
But it was his initial burst with the new ball which set the tone for the Indian bowlers, and that is what came to Akram's notice.
Akram in awe of Bumrah's control
The former left-arm fast bowling legend described how Bumrah controls the new ball and gets it to swing both ways before giving him a huge compliment by comparing himself with India's lead pacer.
“When you bring the ball from the right-hand side, the ball is coming inside. So, the batsman will play from the angle. When the ball will come out from the inside, the batsman will be beaten,” he said.
“When I used to out-swing the right-hand batter, I used to hold the ball like this and hit the wrist. So, the ball will come inside and go out. But, Bumrah has definitely got better control with the new ball than me,” he added.
India on the march
India crushed England by 100 runs at the Ekana Stadium to register their sixth win in succession and consolidate their position at the top of the points table. India is the only team so far which is yet to lose a match in this World Cup.
The Men in Blue will next face 1996 champions Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 2.
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