Follow UsFormer England cricketer Mike Atherton has thrown in a new angle in the Jasprit Bumrah selection conundrum. He said that Bumrah might really want to play the third Test at Lord’s, which starts just three days after the second Test at Edgbaston.
In such a situation, Bumrah’s workload management will also come into question, as he wouldn’t get a lot of recovery time if he plays the second Test as well. Moreover, Atherton added that India would look to have Bumrah’s skills in the fourth Test at Old Trafford as well, which is helpful for pacers.
“They have got a decision to make over Bumrah, first of all, because every overseas player wants to play in a Lord’s Test,” Atherton said on Sky Sports, as quoted by the Indian Express.
“The Lord’s Test is three days after Edgbaston. In cricketing terms, he should certainly play at Edgbaston, and I’d think very carefully about Old Trafford, because that’s the kind of ground where pace and reverse swing are really important. But as you say, every cricketer wants to play at Lord’s and get on that honours board.”
England pacer Mark Wood also echoed similar sentiments on the Sky Sports podcast, and said that every bowler wants his name on the Lord’s honours board.
“They cannot afford to go 2-0 down. So you want your best bowler. There’s no way he’s saying, ‘I’m not playing at Lord’s.’ I don’t think so. I think he’ll want to play both games,” Wood said.
“Even if, let’s just say, India win the next one, and it’s 1-1, I still think they’ll want him to make the difference, to get them ahead. I think every overseas bowler wants to get on that board, and he’ll be the same.”