Bumrah eyes short-pitched stuff, Smith unfazed

New Delhi, Nov 14: Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s use of searing short-pitched deliveries in the just-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) may have set the alarm bells ringing in the Australian camp. Though premier Australia batsman Steve Smith brushed aside such concerns, Bumrah’s recent success with the short ball sets up hopes of a mouth-watering contest.
Among Bumrah’s IPL scalps with short-pitched deliveries were Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Nicholas Pooran, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, and Andre Russell.
Bumrah on occasions, like in the case of Rayudu, never shied away from pounding the batsman with short deliveries till the batsman gave in.Bumrah had during the IPL told media that he wants to be proactive and smart with the approach and considers the surface too.
With Australian wickets being bouncier than those in India or the UAE, Bumrah may fancy his chances of bowling the short stuff a lot more frequently in the forthcoming series.
The use of short ball is likely to be more considering that the new Kookaburra ball stops swinging after the first 20-25 overs.
Smith had faced problems with the short ball during the series against New Zealand during 2019-20 season Down Under, with left-arm pace bowler Neil Wagner getting him four times with the short delivery. However, the former Australia captain remains unfazed and said it is tough to replicate Wagner’s skill set as the New Zealander is accurate and manages his speeds well.
“It’s no dramas for me. I just play the game and sum up the conditions — how they’re trying to get me out and being able to counter that. I mean, a few different oppositions have tried it and they’ve certainly found it more difficult to [execute it] the way Wagner did.
He’s got an amazing skill set where his speeds go up and down; everything is between your ribs and your head,” Smith told News Corp.” I’ve faced a lot of short bowling in my life and I haven’t had too many stresses with it.”(IANS)