Under Jos Buttler, Paul Collingwood, who led England to the title in the 2010 T20 World Cup, thinks England will attack India’s key fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah aggressively in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup in Guyana on Thursday.
With 11 wickets at an economy rate of 4.08—including two consecutive Player of the Match honors—Bumrah has been crucial for India’s flawless run in the current tournament. His key dismissals of Australia’s Travis Head and Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan changed games in India’s favor.
Collingwood remarked on the Star Sports Press Room broadcast, “Jasprit Bumrah is the first name on that list right now if you have to choose a cricket squad in any form. With amazing abilities, speed, and the capacity to surprise batters in T20 cricket, he is the finest cricketer on earth today.”
England’s approach would be to push Bumrah, which might have a big effect on the opponents, Collingwood suggested. “England will not pursue a conservative strategy; conversely, they will be aggressive.” Should they be able to put Bumrah under pressure, the Indian cricket squad might be severely demoralized.”
Bumrah’s deadly yorkers, quick deliveries, and deceptive slow off-cutters have been executed with precision. Bumrah has been exciting supporters with his performances after missing the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup due to a back condition, thereby helping India to win.
Former fast bowler S Sreesanth of the 2007 Men’s T20 World Cup-winning squad thinks Bumrah’s magic will be vital in the semi-final against England. “Bumrah always arrives ready with a strategy and executes it brilliantly. Batters find it difficult to read his peculiar motion.”
Sreesanth also underlined Bumrah’s strong partnership with Arshdeep Singh, who complements Bumrah by bowling from the opposite end. “Arshdeep becomes the wicket-taking bowler should someone want to target Bumrah. For winning the World Cup, this bowling attack with Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja is outstanding.”
Though he doesn’t always take wickets, Bumrah’s presence on the field motivates other bowlers, much like Sachin Tendulkar’s presence used to do. Particularly in high-stakes knockout contests, this motivation is absolutely vital.