‘That could be a career ender’ – Former Kiwi pacer gives huge warning to BCCI about Jasprit Bumrah’s latest injury setback

Former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond has urged Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to exercise caution in the case of Jasprit Bumrah. The 31-year-old pacer pulled up injured during the Sydney Test earlier this year. Leading the side in the game, Bumrah was seen going for scans in the middle of the game. 

After being named in the original squad for the Champions Trophy, BCCI had to pull Bumrah out of the squad. It is said that the pacer is likely to miss the first two weeks of the upcoming IPL season. With India set to tour England after IPL the need for Bumrah to be fit becomes more important. 

Speaking on ESPN CRICINFO’s Match Day show, Shane Bond said, “When he went off for scans, it was at Sydney, there was some messaging coming up around that he had sprains and stuff like that. I worried that it wasn't going to be a sprain, it might be a bony injury around that area [the back]. I thought he may struggle to make the Champions Trophy if it was." It is to be noted that Bond was the bowling coach for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and has seen Bumrah from close quarters. 

Shane Bond urges BCCI to maintain ace pacer’s workload 

During his chat with ESPN CRICINFO, the former Kiwi star said, “Look, I think Bumrah will be fine, but it's just that [workload] management [matters]. "Looking at the tours and the schedule going forward, where are the opportunities to give him a break, but really where are the danger periods? And often it is that the [transition from] IPL to the Test championship will be a risk.”

“Anywhere you transition from particularly T20 to a Test match, it's challenging. If you are playing a one-day series, it's generally not too bad. You will play three games a week, you will have a practice, you are sort of in around that 40 overs [range], that's pretty close to a Test match week anyway,” further added Shane Bond. 

Speaking about Bumrah’s workload management, Bond added, “Particularly in the IPL, when you might be playing three games in a week, there's two days of travel, you might get one training [session], you are sort of bowling 20 overs maybe if you're lucky. That's sort of half of a Test match load or even under a half of, which then is a big jump and you are not bowling back-to-back days. That's a big jump when you transition out of that."