India’s gun fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has hailed his bowling partner Mohammed Shami after another impressive bowling display from the latter. Shami, playing only his second match of the ongoing showpiece, picked up 4-22 and played a key role in rattling England at 129 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Sunday.
Shami made life difficult for England’s talisman Ben Stokes as he breathed down his neck. Stokes gave up as he tried to play a pressure releasing shot but Shami was at the stumps.
The right-arm pacer then had Jonny Bairstow chopping the ball back onto his stumps. Shami produced Moeen Ali’s outside edge and had him caught by wicket-keeper KL Rahul and then got the ball to reverse to rattle Adil Rashid’s stumps at the fag end.
The veteran fast bowler was right on the money and he has now taken 40 wickets in World Cup history. The pacer leapfrogged Allan Donald, Jacob Oram, and Daniel Vettori’s tally of wickets in the World Cup.
In the two matches Shami has played, he has picked up nine wickets at an impressive average of 8.44 and has an parsimonious economy rate of 4.47 in the ongoing World Cup 2023. Shami had returned with figures of 5-54 in his quota of 10 overs against New Zealand and was awarded Player of the Match.
“He is outstanding,” Bumrah said while talking to Sky Sports. “He’s, you know, one of the legends of the game. I feel he has always been quite calm. He doesn’t come out to be flamboyant, but he way he was bowling as if he was playing a Test match and [it] was really, really wonderful to see.
“Usually we’ve had a lot of partnerships in Test-match cricket and I really enjoy bowling with him. So yeah, I’m really happy with the way he’s going on.”
Bumrah has made a rollicking return from injury and he revealed he is in the right mental space. The ace pacer registered figures 3-32 against England and has picked up 14 wickets in six matches at an average of 15.07 in the ongoing World Cup.
“I’m very happy,” he continued. “I came back and I realized how much I love playing the game. I was not chasing anything. Great headspace was there when I came back from the injury. So yeah, eventually I’m looking at the positives and trying to enjoy as much as you can.”
India will next take on Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday.
