New Zealand played Jasprit Bumrah well: Shane Bond

India's Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of New Zealand's Martin Guptill during the fifth Twenty20 cricket match between New Zealand and India at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on February 2, 2020. (Photo by MICHAEL BRADLEY / AFP)


After ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah endured a wicket-less run in India’s just concluded three-match ODI series, former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond said that the Kiwis played Bumrah well. He added that New Zealand’s approach to be conservative against the 26-year-old could become a template for other teams.

“I thought New Zealand played him well and identified him as a risk. They have played him conservatively and obviously there was some inexperience around (Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur),” said Bond as quoted by PTI.

“All teams will now identify him as a risk and attack others. So that’s where the bowling group and what they do (as a group) is massive. It is not an easy place to bowl as wickets are flat,” he added.

Notably, number 2 ODI bowler Bumrah has been under the scanner post his return from a stress fracture. The bowler has not been at his very best in the matches post his most recent injury.

In the recent three ODIs against New Zealand, Bumrah remained wicketless despite playing all the matches. He conceded a total of 167 runs in the 30 overs he bowled and returned without a scalp in a bilateral series for the first time in his career.

“At the end of the day, all you can do is try and bowl well. He bowled reasonably well but sometimes you don’t get wickets,” said Bond, the fastest New Zealand bowler during his time.

“That’s the nature of expectations when you got a bowler of Jasprit’s quality,” he added.

However, in the just concluded three-day warm-up game against New Zealand XI, Bumrah picked two wickets by conceding only 18 runs in his 11 overs.