Shami run-up a problem: Akram
ST MORTIZ: Shami is a good bowler but sometimes I feel he is a bit laidback. As a fast bowler, irrespective of match situation, he should just sprint in and try to hurry the batsmen.
Pakistan pace legend Wasim Akram is quite impressed with Indian fast bowlers and feels they can be lethal in this year’s tour of England if Mohammed Shami corrects a run-up flaw and Jasprit Bumrah devotes some time to county cricket. One of the greatest fast bowlers of all time and arguably the best left-arm pacer to have played the game, Akram dissected the current Indian bowling attack, which he feels has gained in confidence unlike the teams of earlier era.
“Shami is a good bowler but sometimes I feel he is a bit laidback. As a fast bowler, irrespective of match situation, he should just sprint in and try to hurry the batsmen, who have a frontfoot trigger movement,” Akram said.
Asked to elaborate on the technical aspects, Akram explained that Shami’s erratic strides at times hinder his consistency.
“During his run-up, Shami, at times, tends to take small strides before his final load up to the crease. Now when he is in rhythm, his strides are correct and equally measured but the moment he gets a bit wayward, his strides get smaller. It should always be the opposite.”
Akram said smaller strides result in a loss of pace. “When the length of the stride decreases, a person’s bowling action doesn’t get completed. The force that is generated from the back goes missing and one loses out on a lot of pace,” said Akram, who picked 414 Test and 502 ODI wickets during his international career.
Michael Holding recently commented that Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to be a big success in England due to his hit-the-deck action but Akram feels that it is something that can be worked upon. “I agree with Mike that you can’t hit the deck on English surfaces but that would only come with experience. Look, the BCCI doesn’t allow the Indian boys (main international stars) to play county cricket.
“If Bumrah plays at least a month of county every year, trust me, he will be a better bowler. But then Indian board has to tell Bumrah to forego a month’s IPL and play county cricket,” said Akram, who attributes his transformation from a raw talent to a world beater to the days he had spent as a pro with Lancashire.
But he agrees that Bumrah will get better with more experience.
If Bumrah can learn how to straighten the ball after pitching coming from wide off the crease, more often than not, it will be his wickettaking delivery.