Jasprit Bumrah unreasonably accused of chucking as Australian fans cry foul: What ICC rule on bowling action says
Some fans spoke out about the alleged illegality of Jasprit Bumrah's action following his five-fer against Australia in Perth.
Jasprit Bumrah delivered a spell which will live long in the memory of cricket fans. A phenomenal performance against Australia in Perth saw him register a five-fer with some fiery and consistently threatening bowling in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Bumrah has received plenty of plaudits from fans and pundits worldwide for the difference his quality of bowling made while India was trying to protect a narrow lead. However, while it was one of the finest spells of pace bowling in recent memory, Bumrah still managed to rankle some feathers amongst the Australian fans.
Bumrah’s incredible spell received some flak from certain fans, who questioned the Indian stand-in skipper's bowling action and asked whether he was chucking.
Bumrah's excellence comfortably within the laws of the game
While Bumrah’s technique and style are certainly unorthodox and unique to a standard seamer, with him having raised eyebrows in the past, it has never developed into an official investigation.
Hyperextension in his elbow allows Bumrah to get extra leverage and whip during his bowling motion, all while not flexing his elbow beyond the legal 15 degrees as mandated by the ICC’s rules.
Bumrah’s natural motion allows him to ‘snap’ the ball forward and therefore, deliver the ball from closer to the batter, creating an awkward and more challenging trajectory. Nevertheless, given that his bowling is completely legal and gives him a natural advantage, it can only be interpreted as sour grapes by Australian fans.
Bumrah’s spell with the opening ball against Australia’s top order on day one saw him dismiss debutant Nathan McSweeney, before his persistent spell also accounted for the wickets of Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith for a golden duck.
Bumrah also dismissed Pat Cummins, before returning on day two to dismiss Australia’s in-form batter in the form of Alex Carey. Finishing with figures of 5-30 after bowling 18 overs in the first innings, Bumrah’s fantastic form helped India produce a 46-run lead despite being bundled out for just 150 on day one.
