“I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out”, James Anderson on Jasprit Bumrah’s bouncer barrage at Lord’s

England fast bowler James Anderson nearly accused Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah of deliberately trying to hurt him with a series of full-steam bouncers on Day 3 of the second Test at Lord’s in the ongoing series. Anderson also said he had not expected to be at the receiving end of a barrage from Bumrah who, […]
 
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“I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out”, James Anderson on Jasprit Bumrah’s bouncer barrage at Lord’s

England fast bowler James Anderson nearly accused Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah of deliberately trying to hurt him with a series of full-steam bouncers on Day 3 of the second Test at Lord’s in the ongoing series.

Anderson also said he had not expected to be at the receiving end of a barrage from Bumrah who, England’s in-form skipper Joe Root told him, was not bowling as quick as he did once the home team’s No.11 arrived at the crease.

“I got caught off guard a little bit because all the batters coming in were saying how slow the pitch was,” Anderson said on the Tailenders podcast.

“When I came out to bat, Joe said Bumrah was not bowling as quick as he normally does. And then, the first ball was 90 miles an hour and on the money, wasn’t it? And it felt like, I haven’t felt like this ever in my career.”

Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah Takes Sly Dig At 39-Year Old Anderson’s Experience; Mocks Him For Crying To Bowl Slow

“I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out”, James Anderson on Jasprit Bumrah’s bouncer barrage at Lord’s
“I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out”, James Anderson on Jasprit Bumrah’s bouncer barrage at Lord’s

James Anderson and Jasprit Bumrah were involved in an on-field spat.

James Anderson alleges Jasprit Bumrah of trying to hurt him

That over where Bumrah ran in hard and delivered the most threatening of bouncers to James Anderson proved to be a game-transforming passage. It riled up Anderson and the rest of the England team, which was evident in the way they went after Bumrah and gave him a mouthful when he himself to came out to bat on the morning of Day 5.

But England’s attempt to take revenge came back to haunt them only, as they lost their radar with the ball and only made Bumrah more inspired to perform with their acts of jeering. The ace quick first contributed a vital 34 to help India extend their third-innings lead to 271 and then produced a spell of great pace and skill, ending with figures of 3/33 in his team’s 151-run victory.

While a lot of water has flown under the bridge since the last ball was bowled at Lord’s, James Anderson hasn’t forgotten Bumrah’s ploy to aim for his body and continues to be suspicious of his intentions, citing the multiple no-balls delivered in the over.

“I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out,” Anderson stressed. “He bowled an over, maybe 10, 11, 12 balls. He was bowling no-ball after no-ball, bowling short. I think he bowled two on the stumps which I managed to dig out. So for me, it was just about trying to survive that and get Joe back on strike.”