Umran Malik has come up the ranks briskly after making his debut for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Fast bowler Umran Malik has been generating serious pace during the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The youngster initially joined the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) back in 2021 as a replacement for T. Natarajan, who had tested positive for COVID-19. Malik got a chance in the playing eleven only after the Orange Army were knocked out of the tournament.
The Young Turk didn’t come into the IPL with a whole lot of experience at the domestic level while playing for Jammu and Kashmir. But he managed to grab the attention of the SRH team management with his ability to bowl at high speeds. Although he didn’t play a whole lot in the previous season, the Sunrisers retained him ahead of the mega auction.
Initially, the decision to retain Malik over the likes of David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Rashid Khan raised a lot of eyebrows. However, the pacer hasn’t let his skipper Kane Williamson and SRH down by any stretch of the imagination. The 22-year-old has shown a tremendous amount of fitness and has clocked over the 140 kms mark on a pretty consistent basis.
Malik breathing fire
In fact, the Srinagar-born Malik has bowled the five fastest deliveries in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich T20 tournament. After the match between Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Sunrisers on Monday, April 11, the top five fastest deliveries registered as 153.3 km/h, 153.1 km/h, 152.4 km/h, 152.3 km/h and 151.8 km/h.
Malik has conjured praise from every nook and corner of the country after his emergence over the last few months. Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of the Indian team, reckoned Malik has the potential to don the India colours going forward. The veteran also talked about managing the pacer’s workload and taking proper care of him.
“He is consistent and I like his attitude. This kid can only learn. This guy has got genuine pace, if he hits the right areas, he is going to trouble a lot of batters. It’s about handling him properly. You have got to give him the right messages. The way you communicate with him will be very important. There is no doubting his potential. This guy is an India player,” Shastri said.
Shastri was impressed with Malik after the speedster generated decent pace in SRH’s game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune. Malik also played the role of a net bowler during India’s campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021. It remains to be seen if Malik can make it big and break into the national team.
