Former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond knows what a top pacer’s body has to go through having played at the top level for many years. Bond also shares a close relationship with Team India spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, during his time as Mumbai Indians bowling coach.
Bond made a dire prediction about Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness, saying that his back injury can be ‘career-ending’ if he gets injured in the same spot again.
Bumrah has been recovering from a lower back injury that kept him out of India’s triumphant Champions Trophy campaign. The star bowler, hailed as a ‘national treasure’ by Virat Kohli, shouldered a heavy workload during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25, taking 32 wickets in five matches. However, he broke down in the final Test in Sydney, sustaining a stress-related injury that has sidelined him from competitive cricket ever since.
Currently undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, Bumrah’s availability for Mumbai Indians in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, starting on March 22, remains uncertain. This is not Bumrah’s first back injury—he previously underwent surgery in March 2023. Bond, who previously worked as MI’s bowling coach and now serves in the same role for Rajasthan Royals, stressed that managing Bumrah’s workload is crucial to prevent further injuries.
Bond himself had a career plagued by back injuries, playing just 120 matches and claiming 259 wickets for New Zealand between 2001 and 2010. Like Bumrah, he had his first back surgery at 29 but managed to extend his career until 34, first retiring from Tests before stepping away from all formats within six months.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo website, Bond expressed his concerns about Bumrah’s injury, recalling the uncertainty when scans were conducted during the Sydney Test. “There was some messaging about sprains and such, but I worried it was more than that—a bony injury around the back. If so, I thought he might struggle to make the Champions Trophy,” he said.
He also pointed out the risk of transitioning from T20 cricket to Test matches, a challenge India will face when they tour England for a five-Test series just a month after the IPL concludes on May 25. “Booms (Bumrah) will be fine, but it’s all about managing his workload. Looking at the upcoming tours and schedule, the key is identifying opportunities to rest him and recognizing danger periods—especially the transition from IPL to Test cricket,” Bond felt.
Bond elaborated on the difficulty of adjusting from T20s to the demands of red-ball cricket. “A one-day series isn’t too bad; you play three games a week, practice, and bowl around 40 overs, which is close to a Test match load. But in the IPL, playing three games a week with travel and limited training means bowlers might only deliver 20 overs in total—less than half a Test match workload. The jump from that to Test cricket is significant, particularly since you don’t bowl on consecutive days in T20s.”
India’s five-Test series in England, scheduled from June 28 to August 3, will be grueling. Bond advised against burdening Bumrah as much as he was during the recent Australia series, where he bowled 151.2 overs, including a marathon 52-over spell during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
“He is too valuable for the next World Cup and beyond. Looking at the England tour, I wouldn’t want him playing more than two Tests in a row. Coming straight out of the IPL into a Test match is a major risk. They need to decide if he plays four or three Tests in total. If they can manage him through the English summer without issues, they can be more confident about his availability across all formats,” Bond felt.
The former MI bowling coach also warned that another injury in the same spot could end Bumrah’s career. “If he gets injured there again, I’m not sure he can have surgery on that area a second time.”
With the Indian domestic season over, the IPL is the only competitive cricket Bumrah can play before the England series. However, Bond believes his participation is uncertain. “His IPL return is ‘touch and go,’ and his availability depends on the intensity at which he is bowling when he comes back.”
Bumrah has claimed 205 wickets in 45 Tests at an amazing average of 19.4 while 149 wickets in ODIs and 89 wickets in T20 at a brilliant average of 17.74. He also has 165 wickets in 133 IPL matches till date at an average of 22.51.
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