Irfan Pathan: “In my view, he has a huge role to play in the 2019 World Cup”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

India left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan believes that pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah will play an instrumental role for the national team in the 2019 World Cup, which will be held in England and Wales.

Pathan’s comments come after Bumrah was joint-highest wicket-taker among all pace bowlers and joint third-highest wicket-taker overall in the recently concluded six-match ODI series against South Africa.

Bumrah, who was the third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs in 2017 with 39 victims at an average of 26.25, finished with eight wickets at an average of 20.87 in the ODI series against the Proteas.

“Fast bowling isn’t a natural phenomenon, and that makes one prone to injuries,” Pathan told CricTracker. “With Jasprit Bumrah’s action, he needs to be managed well. He is a crucial player for the team – he is really good with the new ball and is an excellent death bowler. In my view, he has a huge role to play in the 2019 World Cup.”

The 33-year-old added that pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar will also be a key part of the pace attack. With that in mind, Pathan pointed out that the team management have to keep a close eye on the 28-year-old’s workload.

“Bhuvi particularly has not only contributed with his bowling and fielding but has made valuable additions to the team with the bat as well,” Pathan said. “So the team management will certainly want to look at balancing his workload.”