Former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram, who is considered as one of the greats of the game, has advised Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah to not over-work himself by playing in county cricket. Bumrah, who has been an integral part of the Indian cricket team for the last few years on all three formats, has not played county cricket so far and has been advised by Akram to not do so right now.
According to the "Sultan of Swing", the schedule of cricket has become gruelling enough and could have a negative impact on Bumrah as he already has so much on his plate. Speaking to former Indian opener Akash Chopra on his YouTube channel, Akram said, “Cricket has become too much today. A guy like Bumrah being a top bowler, India's no. 1, I would have suggested him to relax and not run after county cricket. Young players need to play more first class cricket from there they will learn bowling.”
Akram also said that for him, the ultimate form of cricket is Test cricket and the young players can learn a lot by playing in white uniforms. He added, “T20 is amazing, good entertainment; there’s plenty of money involved and I’m all in for the importance of money in a sport and the players. They won’t learn bowling from T20. I don’t judge a player by T20 performance, I judge them from their performances in longer version of cricket.”
Regarded as one of the best left arm pacers the game has ever produced, Akram is an idol for several bowlers of the present generation and his advice can be very vital in shaping their future. Adding to his opinion about the distinction between the limited overs format and the five day format of the Gentleman's game, the former Pakistani World Cup winner said, "When I came in the team as a youngster I used to listen to Imran (Khan) bhai, Javed (Miandad) bhai, Mudassar Nazar that this kid has talent but that time I didn’t understand what they were trying to say. Then I asked Imran Khan and he said your pace is deceptive and swing the ball and then I started to work on those areas."
Akram concluded, “Nothing comes easy was one advise which I learnt from all this three players all though their ways were different. As a bowler our job is to create doubts in the minds of the batsmen. I enjoyed the tag that I am talented.”
Featured image credits: Sportstar
