Curtly Ambrose: Jasprit Bumrah's Unorthodox Action Should Remain Unchanged

Curtly Ambrose, the legendary fast bowler, holds Jasprit Bumrah in high regard, despite the Indian spearhead's history of stress fractures. Ambrose believes that Bumrah's unorthodox action should remain unchanged, maintaining that all fast bowlers face the risk of injury when they step onto the field.

"I'm a big fan of Jasprit Bumrah," said Ambrose in an interview with PTI. "He's so unconventional but highly effective, and that's what I like about him. When you look at traditional fast bowlers, you wouldn't look at Bumrah, he's so unorthodox."

At 30 years old, Bumrah possesses the ability to take wickets at any stage of a limited-over match. In Test cricket, he is equally effective with both the new and old ball, particularly when the ball starts to reverse swing. Widely considered the best all-format pacer in the game currently, Bumrah has encountered his share of back issues and underwent surgery in March of the previous year. Following an extensive rehabilitation period, he made his comeback prior to the ODI World Cup in India in November and has been in top form since then.

Ambrose emphasized that Bumrah should maintain his current approach and technique, making no alterations to his bowling style. "He has done a great job for India and still doing a great job in all formats," said Ambrose. "He's someone I've always enjoyed watching because he's so different."

Bumrah's unique bowling action, with his chest open at the point of delivery, can potentially put extra strain on his back. However, Ambrose believes that every pace bowler has to cope with certain risks associated with their craft. "From my little experience, there are no two bowlers who are exactly alike," said Ambrose. "In terms of his longevity, in terms of injuries, (for) every fast bowler, there is always risk of being injured. But at the same time you can't go out there thinking that wa."

Ambrose, a towering figure at 6 feet 7 inches, consistently challenged the world's elite batsmen with his ability to generate extra bounce. However, he doesn't attribute the strain on Bumrah's back solely to his bowling action. "I've never been through it (stress fracture)," said Ambrose. "So it would be unfair for me to even try to say what to do. I will leave that for the medical expert. I don't think Bumrah's stress comes totally from his action."

Ambrose also expressed concern about the increasing workload on players due to the packed global cricket schedule. "Too much cricket is being played as well," he said. "Players are leaving from one series to the next, there is franchise cricket as well. Guys could get burnt out."

Despite the challenges, Ambrose believes that Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the sport. "I've always preferred Test match cricket over anything else," he said. "I believe at the end of a career, if you've been judged, if you want to become a legend, you have to play Test cricket. You would not become a legend playing ODIs or T20s."

Ambrose concluded by expressing his admiration for the current generation of players, including Virat Kohli. "To dismiss them gives me more pleasure than dismissing numbers 9, 10, 11," he said. "You talk about these guys, they are great players (Kohli & Co). It would be nice to play against them but having said that, I've played against some greats in my time as well."

Tags: #JaspritBumrah, #CurtlyAmbrose, #FastBowling, #StressFractures, #TestCricket