NEW DELHI: New Zealand captain Tim Southee has praised Jasprit Bumrah‘s return to form following the Indian pacer’s recovery from a back injury.
Southee acknowledged Bumrah’s enhanced skillset, attributing it to experience and a period of rejuvenation during his time away from the game.
“To be able to firstly bounce back from the major injury and come back, he’s even better than what he was beforehand.Throw in on top of that, having to juggle multiple formats, can be difficult at times as well. He seems to have been able to do that with ease as well. He’s probably more experienced, understands his game a bit more. He probably had that time where he was injured to come back and be recharged, refreshed,” Southee said during the Ceat Cricket Rating Award on Wednesday.
Lauding Bumrah’s dominance across all formats, he said, “We are just seeing a great version (of Bumrah) across all three formats. He’s brilliant across all three at the moment. I don’t think there’s anyone that he’s better in (better than him), he is tremendous across all three (formats).”
Southee also addressed New Zealand’s upcoming Test schedule, which includes a packed calendar featuring series against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, India, and England.
“As players, you want to play more Test cricket. It’s nice to be able to come here and play three Test matches,” he added.
While acknowledging the potential need for workload management, particularly in spin-friendly conditions, Southee expressed his desire to participate in all nine Tests.
The recent decision of Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, and Finn Allen to decline New Zealand Cricket’s central contracts for 2024-25 has sparked debate. Southee clarified that Williamson and Conway remain committed to Test cricket and are available for the upcoming matches.
“It’s the way that cricket is going and then the amount of T20 leagues that are popping up. Look at it from Kane and Devon’s point of view; they’re still committed to New Zealand cricket, we have nine Test matches coming up and they are committed to those. As far as the Test side is concerned, it’s not too dissimilar. They’re still going to be there even though they don’t have a New Zealand contract,” he explained.
While recognizing the challenges posed by this new reality, Southee believes New Zealand Cricket’s current approach strikes a balance between individual player needs and the team’s requirements. He remains optimistic that solutions will emerge through collaboration between players and boards to navigate the complexities of multi-format cricket.
Southee acknowledged Bumrah’s enhanced skillset, attributing it to experience and a period of rejuvenation during his time away from the game.
“To be able to firstly bounce back from the major injury and come back, he’s even better than what he was beforehand.Throw in on top of that, having to juggle multiple formats, can be difficult at times as well. He seems to have been able to do that with ease as well. He’s probably more experienced, understands his game a bit more. He probably had that time where he was injured to come back and be recharged, refreshed,” Southee said during the Ceat Cricket Rating Award on Wednesday.
Lauding Bumrah’s dominance across all formats, he said, “We are just seeing a great version (of Bumrah) across all three formats. He’s brilliant across all three at the moment. I don’t think there’s anyone that he’s better in (better than him), he is tremendous across all three (formats).”
Southee also addressed New Zealand’s upcoming Test schedule, which includes a packed calendar featuring series against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, India, and England.
“As players, you want to play more Test cricket. It’s nice to be able to come here and play three Test matches,” he added.
While acknowledging the potential need for workload management, particularly in spin-friendly conditions, Southee expressed his desire to participate in all nine Tests.
The recent decision of Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, and Finn Allen to decline New Zealand Cricket’s central contracts for 2024-25 has sparked debate. Southee clarified that Williamson and Conway remain committed to Test cricket and are available for the upcoming matches.
“It’s the way that cricket is going and then the amount of T20 leagues that are popping up. Look at it from Kane and Devon’s point of view; they’re still committed to New Zealand cricket, we have nine Test matches coming up and they are committed to those. As far as the Test side is concerned, it’s not too dissimilar. They’re still going to be there even though they don’t have a New Zealand contract,” he explained.
While recognizing the challenges posed by this new reality, Southee believes New Zealand Cricket’s current approach strikes a balance between individual player needs and the team’s requirements. He remains optimistic that solutions will emerge through collaboration between players and boards to navigate the complexities of multi-format cricket.
