Former West Indies pacer Courtney Walsh thinks Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah well has the potential to reach James Anderson’s milestone. Walsh was the first pacer in the history of cricket to get 500 wickets in the longest format of the game. Till the time, he announced retirement — he had an illustrious record of 519 wickets from 132 Tests.
England pacer James Anderson recently achieved the feat of the first pacer to get 600 wickets in Test format. Anderson became the first fast bowler to bag this landmark. He joins the legendary trio of retired spinners; Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Australia’s Shane Warne (708) and India’s Anil Kumble (619).
Courtney Walsh on James Anderson’s 600 Test wickets haul:
Walsh lauded Anderson on his 600 wickets achievement in Test cricket and adored his hardwork and consistency. He mentioned the England pacer being not as quick as he was before but his skills being better now.
Courtney Walsh stated the reason behind Anderson’s longevity is him finding the right bowling action which takes minimal effort and doesn’t affect his body much.
“It is a fantastic achievement. It is a monumental effort for any fast bowler to play as much as you need to for taking 500 or 600 wickets. It just shows the hard work and dedication that Anderson has put in over the years. He truly deserves every accolade he gets. The fact that he still wants to play and aim for 700 wickets is tremendous. Courtney Walsh told The Times Of India in an interview.
“Once you get to know your bowling action, it will help you to survive and play for many years. Anderson is not as quick as he used to be when he was younger, but his skill sets have gotten better. He has more consistency. That is what you need. The smoothness of his action and the minimal effort it takes out of his body have allowed him to prolong his career for so long. He has an action that is not stressful on the body.”
He has the potential to reach where Anderson and Broad have: Courtney Walsh on Jasprit Bumrah
The legendary West Indies pacer Courtney Walsh believes Jasprit Bumrah has the potential to reach to the levels of England stars James and Anderson and Stuard Broad, who have crossed the 600 and 500 wickets mark, respectively in Test cricket.
“He [Jasprit Bumrah] has the potential to reach where Anderson and Broad have. He is a very skilful bowler. He has a funny run-up that people might want to change. But it is what is best for him. If he stays fit, he could make his mark in a big way in all formats. It is just about how hungry he is to achieve success,” said Courtney Walsh on Bumrah.
The Indian pacer has a tough action which strains his back too much and for the same reason, Team India prefer to use him on short bursts. The 26-year-old speedster has only played 14 Test matches for India taking 68 wickets.