In Malinga’s team, Bumrah the new death-overs enforcer
Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga have been handling death bowling duties for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League over the last couple of seasons. But on Saturday, Bumrah laid claim as their undisputed No 1 bowling finisher with a match-winning effort in the Super Over against Gujarat Lions.
With Malinga struggling with form this season, the responsibility of bowling the Super Over fell on the shoulders of Bumrah, and the 23-year-old didn’t disappoint.
JUST TWO OFF THE BAT
The Gujarat player displayed his repertoire, bowling a combinaand tion of perfect yorkers slower ones to keep two of the biggest hitters in the game -Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch -- tied down. It was IPL’s seventh tied match, and the first involving Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Lions.
Chasing a target of 12, Gujarat Lions scored just six runs out of which only two runs were off the bat while the rest came through no-ball, leg-bye, wide and bye from an eight-ball over.
Asked about his thinking while bowling the Super Over, Bumrah said: “There was always pressure because they only needed 12 runs. I tried to keep a calm head, not focus on the negative things, just thinking about the plans we had made.”
The speedster has 11 wickets from nine matche far.
“They (tea management just told me t back my skills an be confident, thin of it as just anoth over and not ta extra pr sure.” In this IPL edition, Malinga’s pace is down and he has struggled to land those yorkers. Concerned with his abilities late in the match, skipper Rohit Sharma bowled him in the middle overs, leaving the finishing duties to Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan. While Bumrah held his own, McClenaghan went for few. Bumrah has built a reputation of being a very good death bowler, and he said: “I don’t practice like Malinga (by keeping a shoe as target). I do practice th him on how to try and wl yorkers consistently. ut I always have a death owling session whenever practice. It’s very impornt because this is the time hen I bowl for Gujarat in estic matches, for ia and for umbai dians.”