ICC World Cup 2019 | Jasprit Bumrah was extremely committed and was always willing to learn, says Lasith Malinga

ICC World Cup 2019 | Jasprit Bumrah was extremely committed and was always willing to learn, says Lasith Malinga

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Lasith Malinga, who took Jasprit Bumrah under his wing while playing for Mumbai Indians, has hailed the determination of the youngster while naming him the best bowler in the world. Malinga bid farewell to World Cup cricket last week, as he played his last ever World Cup game against India.

When Lasith Malinga first met Jasprit Bumrah playing for Mumbai Indians, the Indian youngster was an unknown entity in world cricket. Bumrah had nothing but raw pace and was a quick but erratic bowler who had no control or accuracy. However, the Sri Lankan pacer spotted something special in the youngster and decided to take him under his own wing, and fast-forward a few years later, Bumrah is now the top-ranked bowler in ODI cricket.

"When I met ‘Boom’ for the first time in 2013, he was a young kid. He had pace, but the only thing lacking was accuracy. But he was always willing to learn and was extremely committed to the game. He soon realised that in T20s, only skilful players can survive. He learned everything quickly — be it the slower ball, in-swinger or out-swinger. He has that confidence and that’s why he is No. 1 now," Malinga said of Bumrah hailing his willingness to learn, in an exclusive interview to Sportstar. 

Malinga has also stated the Bumrah will be unstoppable if he starts reading and analyzing the game, and hopes that the Indian pacer can pick it up in the forthcoming year. "That’s why he can deliver six yorkers and one slow ball at ease. I hope in the next one year he improves on how to analyse a game. Then, nobody can beat him. Trust me on that," he said. 

Alongside Bumrah, Malinga also hailed South African ace Kagiso Rabada as one of the top bowlers in the world, and was full of hope for English pacer Jofra Archer, and believes he has every ability to become one of the best bowlers in the next couple of years.

"Boom is No. 1. And of course, Kagiso Rabada. Jofra Archer is coming up well. In another two-three years, he will be in the top-three list," said Malinga, when asked his opinion about the best pacers in world cricket.

Despite having an ordinary tournament, Malinga came to the defence of Rabada, putting it to just "one bad tournament", insisting that the South African quick will bounce back. "It’s just one tournament and such disappointments are part of the game. I think he is a good bowler who is extremely accurate and has an attacking approach," he said.

After bidding farewell to his World Cup career, rumours regarding Malinga's retirement from ODI Cricket have been aplenty, but Malinga said that he hopes to play for a little longer before announcing his retirement, and also said he hopes to share his knowledge with the youngsters once he eventually hangs up his boots. 

"After the World Cup, I plan to play a little more before ending my ODI career. I want to share my knowledge with young bowlers after that.  I want to share my experience with the youngsters and tell them how to handle situations, sharpen their skills and help them to analyse the game. These are the things biomechanics won’t teach you. I can do that once I quit the game. But that will happen only after a year or two, once I hang up my boots." the Sri Lankan pacer concluded. 

Malinga, who has represented Sri Lanka in 225 ODIs, has picked up 335 wickets, and is also the third highest wicket-taker of all time in World Cups with 56 wickets, behind Glenn McGrath and Muttiah Muralitharan.

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