Former Australian pacer Damien Fleming has praised Jasprit Bumrah for his ability to execute a variety of deliveries which makes him different from others.
Fleming has explained various aspects of Bumrah’s delivery routine, calling him “The Terminator” for his relentless ability to adapt and exploit batsmen’s weakness instinctively.
Fleming said Bumrah’s ability to execute his wide range of skills and precision sets him apart from the rest and makes him one of the finest pacers to have ever played the game.
Speaking to the local media, Fleming broke down every aspect of Bumrah’s routine in the middle order from his run-up release, explaining his potency across all formats of the game.
Bumrah destroyed batting line up during the first match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy and secured a historic 295-run victory in November.
Bumrah secured 8 wickets across the innings, picking big wickets of Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne.
Bumrah has picked 181 wickets in 41 test matches. The Pacer is already in the league of greats with his action earned him the spotlight in the stages of his career. Bumrah has managed to stay ahead of batter.
“He’s always stalking the batsman, planning his next move,” Fleming said. Bumrah’s skills has been unmatched with his inswingers, outswingers, off cutters, slower balls, bouncers and pinpoint yorkers.
“Not only does he have a wide skill set, but he executes it better than anyone,” Fleming said. Bumrah standout traits is his unconventional run-up which is more of a shuffle thatn a sprint, reminiscent of Wasim Akram and Jeff Thomson.
“His run-up goes the opposite of what we generally teach,” he said. “Around 60 per cent of your speed comes from your run-up, and you’ve got to get real momentum towards the crease.”
“It’s like the build-up of a train, and good speed momentum towards the target, then the extra 40 per cent would be through your action.
“I’d be guessing that Bumrah’s more like 30 per cent from his run-up and 70 per cent from his action. When I halved my run-up I felt like I got a little bit quicker, but you create a perception from the batter that you won’t be that quick.”
“When you faced Brett Lee, Waqar Younis or Shoaib Akhtar sprinting in at you, there’s something innate preparing you that this is going to be quick and that helps you play the ball.
“But when you face Wasim Akram, Jeff Thomson or Bumrah, nothing prepares you for the pace that’s coming because the run-up is short.”
“Thommo increased his run-up speed later in his career and wished that he hadn’t because it didn’t transfer to extra ball speed. Bumrah creates an optical illusion there.”
Fleming also highlighted that Bumrah’s extension, allowing him to release the ball 30 cm closest to batter.
“His hyperextension is as drastic as I’ve seen,” he said. “Most fast bowlers do hypertextend to a degree, and sometimes the quicker they are the more they have it.”
“Hyperextension is different to throwing because it is an involuntary action – I don’t think you can coach it. But it adds to that catapult effect, more stretch to generate force.”
“I was astounded when we first looked at that, and a lot of the bowlers were six or seven centimetres in front of the crease. Pat Cummins is about 20cm, so the ball hits the bat and the batter looks a bit shocked. So for Bumrah, the pitch is 32cm shorter…”
“The last effect is his wrist flexion. That’s also as extreme as I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“All this delayed stuff you’re waiting for, the ball doesn’t come, and then it does and you’re shocked with how quickly it gets there. The other thing about his wrist is that he can make a really late decision about what he’s going to bowl because of subtle changes in wrist position,” he added.
Coming to the series, the second test will begin on December 06 at Adelaide Oval.
