Tom Moody criticized Mumbai Indians’ decision to not use Jasprit Bumrah’s spell optimally against PBKS at Mullanpur.
Despite Jasprit Bumrah bagging the Player of the Match award for the MI vs. PBKS match at Mullanpur, ex-Australian cricketer Tom Moody opined that Mumbai had underutilised him.
During a talk show on Star Sports, Moody said, as quoted by the Times of India, “He (Bumrah) bowled two overs early on and had the Punjab Kings on their back. But, interestingly enough, he didn’t bowl another over until the 13th,” pointing out that this gap encouraged Punjab to rally the scoreboard during the chase.
“He’s at the peak of his powers at the moment. And that’s my point about why I think the Mumbai Indians let the Punjab Kings back into this contest. (Gerald) Coetzee and Bumrah for mine, and I’ll be interested to hear what the other fast bowlers think on this show. Should (Bumrah) have bowled again to be able to put Punjab completely out onto the campus?” Moody added further.
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Moody was further critical of the effectiveness of the MI bowling lineup. “We want to see them (MI) close out games early by bringing Bumrah back or Coetzee. But then they have to depend on guys like Hardik to finish off, who hasn’t been bowling as well of late, and some of the other bowlers travelling like (Romario) Shepherd; they may struggle in the back end,” remarked Moody.
“They need somebody to step up and help out Bumrah and Coetzee, because if they keep going the way they are, they might lose more points again,” concluded the cricketer.
As pointed out by Moody, MI’s bowling lineup was just at par as Coetzee and Bumrah squared off the major wickets of the Punjab Kings, with both of them scalping three wickets each. However, Hardik Pandya and Akash Madhwal, though they bagged one wicket each, proved to be expensive during their spell.
After a win against Punjab, MI now stands in the seventh position on the IPL points table and will be facing the Rajasthan Royals on April 22nd.
Last Updated on April 19, 2024
