“Jasprit Bumrah is a freak”

Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke heaped praise on pacers James Anderson and Jasprit Bumrah for their terrific performance in the second Test on a batting-friendly track of Visakhapatnam (Vizag).

James Anderson took five wickets in the second Test match whereas Jasprit Bumrah wreaked havoc by taking a six-fer in the first innings and a three-fer in the second innings to seal the match for India. Bumrah won the Player of The Match for his performance against England in the second Test.

India won the second Test match against England at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vizag by 106 runs and Jasprit Bumrah was the star for India for his match figures of 9/91. Whereas James Anderson also took five wickets in the match and took his tally of Test wickets to 695 wickets.

He only needs five wickets more to become the first fast bowler in history to take 700 Test wickets in his career. Anderson made his Test debut in 2003 and for the past two decades, he has been one of the best fast bowlers to play for England in Test cricket.

Michael Clarke while speaking to ESPN called Jasprit Bumrah a ‘freak’ for taking nine wickets on a pitch that was not supportive of fast bowlers.

He also praised James Anderson for taking five wickets on that pitch. James Anderson is 41 years old and still fit enough to play the longest format at the highest level for his country. If Andeson crosses the 700-wicket mark, he will become the first pacer and the third overall bowler to reach the 700-wicket milestone in Test cricket.

“James Anderson, with the ball was phenomenal in the 2nd Test, on a flat batting pitch that did not have much for the fast bowlers. And Bumrah, what can you say! He is a freak. His skill use in conditions that are not conducive to fast-bowling, uff, it’s unbelievable. He is a freak,” Michael Clarke told ESPN.

“A big part of greatness is longevity, no matter what you do. He has gone through those highs and lows. Yes, he has had some injuries. But, to be able to play this amount of cricket over that amount of time is phenomenal. Again, I think he showed his class and skill in that Test match,” he added.

Jasprit Bumrah Recently Became The No.1 Ranked Test Bowler In The ICC Rankings

Jasprit Bumrah reached the pinnacle of ICC Test bowling rankings after accumulating 881 rating points to become the No.1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings table. He is the first-ever bowler to reach the No.1 spot in all three formats. Bumrah missed out on professional cricket for a year and a half after he was injured in the T20I series against Australia in September 2022. He returned to professional cricket after a long time and has made his mark since then with the ball.

Jasprit Bumrah might miss the third Test between India and England as he is expected to be rested to manage his workload. Mohammed Siraj was also rested in the second Test to manage his workload and is expected to make his return in the third Test. The third Test between England and India will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. The five-match series is currently levelled 1-1 as England won the first Test by 28 runs in Hyderabad and India made a terrific comeback in Vizag winning the second Test by 106 runs.