Jeff Thomson feels Kerala has a greater pool of pace bowlers than Mumbai and Karnataka

Former Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson feels that Kerala has good options in the pace bowling department. Thomson was impressed by Kerala’s fast bowling display at the Wayanad Cricket Stadium on Thursday. Organized by the Bowling Foundation, an initiative by the Kerala Cricket Association and the IDBI Federal Life Insurance, both Kerala’s present and future pace bowlers participated in the two-week long camp.

Thomson, who is regarded as one of the best fast bowlers ever to have played the game, praised both the senior and junior pace bowlers of Kerala. “I see a lot of potential for pace bowling in Kerala,” said Thomson.

“I found many of them pretty good,” added Thomson when speaking with the Hindu. The Australian also feels that the state of Kerala was blessed with a greater number of pace bowlers than Mumbai and Karnataka.

“I think there is more depth in Kerala than Mumbai or Karnataka when it comes to pace bowlers.” he added.

This is the second time in this month the local talents have been praised by overseas cricketing professionals.

Talking about the fast bowlers in Tamil Nadu, former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee said, “I reckon that we’ll see a lot of young emerging players who will one day go on to represent their country.”

Thomson also praised the Kerala bowlers for their willpower, hard work and determination. The legendary Aussie also picked out a few youngsters that impressed him, “Boys like Sandeep Warrier, Basil Thampi, M.K. Asif and Tilbin Joseph look pretty good.”

When asked about his experience with the Australian pace bowler Sandeep Warrier said, “We learnt several new things about bowling fast from him.”

According to Sandeep, Thomson did not make any technical change as the forthcoming season was only a few weeks away. “But ironed out some rough edges”.

While praising the infrastructure and the ground, Thomson also stated that he would like to work with the bowlers in the future.

“I am also impressed with the ground and the facilities here,” said Thomson. “The weather has been nice too. I have enjoyed my time here. It is so quiet and cool, quite unlike Mumbai or Bengaluru.” he added.

Kerala will begin their Ranji Trophy campaign against Jammu & Kashmir on October 6.