As Jasprit Bumrah ripped through the Australian batting order on the opening day of the first cricket Test in Perth, fans were left captivated by his unorthodox bowling action. But after broadcasters showed side-on vision of the moment just before he releases the ball, many were left wondering whether his action is actually legal?

Bumrah has a noticeable bend in his arm before he delivers the ball, leaving numerous cricket fans questioning whether he’s actually ‘chucking’. Under ICC laws, bowlers can’t have their “elbow extended by more than 15 degrees between their arm reaching the horizontal and the ball being released.”

If an umpire suspects a bowler is contravening that law, they can submit a report to the match referee and the ICC will undergo subsequent testing. Bumrah has never been reported or undergone testing, and the key lies in the fact his arm ‘hyperextends’ rather than bends.

Former England international and renowned bowling coach Ian Pont explained in 2022 why Bumrah’s action is deemed legal. In light of Pakistan bowler Mohammad Hasnain being reported for a similar action, Pont wrote on social media about Bumrah: “You can see his arm straight from the wrist to elbow. The rule is when it is above the vertical that the elbow must not bend past 15 degrees. You can clearly see the forward flexion in his arm, which is a hyperextension. This is allowed (a forward bend) for people with hyper-mobile joints.

“A hyperextension is a movement in the similar direction to the direction of movement – not downward or to the side. This is why Bumrah’s action is classified as legal since it is within the guidelines of hypermobility.”

Cricket fans question legality of Jasprit Bumrah’s action

Many Australian cricket fans would have been seeing Bumrah for the first time on Friday, and it sparked some questions about the legality of his action. One person wrote on social media: “How is Jaspreet Bumrah even allowed to bowl with that action. He is clearly chucking.” While another commented: “Fox Cricket analysing Bumrah’s technique in slow motion and all I can see is a bent elbow and chucking.”

Speaking before the Test match, David Warner explained why Bumrah is so difficult to face. As well as his hypermobility, the India captain also employs a much shorter and methodical run-up before unleashing.

“The key challenge of Bumrah is getting used to his action. If you haven’t faced him before, it can be quite challenging,” Warner said. “You’ve got to try and get used to the stutter at the crease. And then he lets go some thunderbolts. He always hits line and length. Can swing them both ways. I think the beauty of him is he’s got two different gears. He can pitch it up when the ball is new and then he can go the other length.”

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Jasprit Bumrah’s advantages due to hypermobility

According to Paul Felton, a senior lecturer in biomechanics at Nottingham Trent University who has worked with cricket coaches, Bumrah gets two distinct advantages from his hypermobility. He told the Daily Telegraph: “One is that he can hold onto the ball for far longer giving him more time to generate speed, the second he can get into a position closer to the batter at release which reduces their reaction time,” he said.

“His hypermobility also provides further advantages (in) that he is able to maintain alignment throughout his bowling action which reduces variability in his control of line and length. So, his hypermobility makes him unique. That he’s able to maximise speed by accessing more optimal movement patterns which increases control and provide lower injury risk.”

Bumrah was the star of the show on Friday, taking 4-17 as Australia were reduced to 7-67 in response to India’s first-innings total of 150. Bumrah removed debutant opener Nathan McSweeney (10), Usman Khawaja (eight), and Steve Smith (golden duck) in a devastating opening spell, before coming back to get Pat Cummins (three).