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Afghanistan’s right arm pacer Naveen-ul-Haq stunned everyone with his bowling action at the T20 World Cup 2021. Now, he has expressed his sheer admiration for the Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and wanted to bowl like him.
Bumrah, the Indian bowling spearhead, has proved his mettle in all three formats of cricket.
Speaking to NEW9, Naveen said: “I will be happy if I become 50 percent of the bowler Jasprit Bumrah.” He also praised Bumrah for carrying cool and calm postures in tough scenarios inside the field.
“I admire him as a bowler. Such a cool and calm customer of the game. The way he carries himself even in the toughest of situations is a great example to learn from. I will be glad if I even become 50 percent of the bowler he is. He is simply terrific,” Navin added.
Naveen opens on bowling action similar to Bumrah
The Afghan pacer said he was previously unaware of having a bowling action like Bumrah. Naveen added that nobody before the T20 World Cup had pointed out his action, and only it was during the match against Bangladesh when he got to know about his bowling action being similar to Bumrah.
“Even I didn’t know I had a similar bowling action to Jasprit Bumrah. Before this T20 World Cup, no one had pointed this out. You know the similar load-up or the hyperextension. It was during the match that I saw it on the big screen that our bowling action was being compared and I was like ‘wow!’, there is indeed some similarity. After that match, people started to ask me about it. I feel the bowling action comes naturally. But the similarity is completely a coincidence,” Naveen said.
Practice match vs #BANGLADESH pic.twitter.com/8WeBJ9Qq9A
— Naveen ul haq Murid (@imnaveenulhaq) June 5, 2018
Drawing inspiration from his idol Bumrah, Naveen has miles to go. He took only five wickets in as many matches with an economy of nine in the T20 World Cup 2021. The 22-year-old conceded 59 runs in four overs against India, becoming the costliest bowler among the Afghan lineup.
