"That's what has given him success" - Shoaib Akhtar urges Jasprit Bumrah to not change his bowling action

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar feels there's no need for Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah to change his bowling action after his comeback from injury. Bumrah has been out of action in competitive cricket since September last year and has reportedly undergone back surgery to solve his injury woes.

Some cricket experts have advised him to remodel his bowling action due to the stress it puts on his back. However, Akhtar feels Bumrah shouldn't tinker with the recipe that has given him success in competitive cricket.

Speaking to Sports Tak, here's what Shoaib Akhtar had to say about Jasprit Bumrah's bowling action:

"Bumrah can't change his action now because that's what has given him success. He is a very courageous fast bowler and I like the aggression that he has in his bowling. I wish he recovered quickly and makes a strong comeback."

Akhtar also provided some technical information on why the back injury has troubled Bumrah. He said:

"When Jasprit Bumrah loads up, that puts pressure on his spinal cord. He pivots with his back, while we are more side-on and can use our thighs or even arms. But he doesn't have that leverage. His action is just not sustainable if he plays every game."

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Jasprit Bumrah could have been managed better: Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar feels that both the Indian team management as well as Jasprit Bumrah himself should have realized that the pacer cannot play every game. He opined that going forward, Bumrah should only play in crucial games and should spend more time on external exercises like swimming and stretching.

On this, Akhtar stated:

"Bumrah could have been managed better and he could have himself realized that he has to pick and choose which formats he had to play. If I was a part of the management, I would tell Bumrah that he would play just 3 out of every 5 ODIs and then I would put him into the pool for swimming.

"I would make him do 500 laps as swimming would help his back get more flexible. More time in the pool, in the gym and stretching with weights would help his back muscles and spine get more flexible."

It will be interesting to see if Bumrah returns from injury as the same bowler that he was before.