Legendary Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath has given a special piece of advice to young Indian pace sensation Umran Malik
Malik has a terrific IPL 2022 campaign for Sunrisers Hyderabad – he was the leading wicket-taker among Indian pacers with 22 scalps – which followed his call-up to the Indian team for the tours of Ireland and England.
Has Umran Malik played for India?
But his performances there – 2 wickets in 3 matches and he leaked runs at more than 12 runs an over – clearly proved that he was too young for international cricket and need to learn a lot. He was then dropped for the West Indies tour.
Malik has been unable to control his high pace and hence has leaked runs being erratic in lines and lengths.
McGrath, though, strongly asserted that Malik shouldn’t reduce his pace in order to gain better control; even though he hasn’t seen much of Malik, McGrath said Malik’s extreme pace has already impressed him.
“Sheer pace is unique. You can’t teach someone to bowl 150-plus, they’ve got to be able to naturally do that. I hate seeing bowlers slow down to get control. I like to see bowlers working harder on control, putting the time and effort in the nets to get to know their game while still bowling at top pace. Because someone who bowls at excess of 150 kph is very rare. I don’t like to see express pacers slow down to get control,” McGrath was quoted as saying by India Today.
“I haven’t seen a huge amount of Umran Malik but the fact that he can bowl at a good pace is impressive,” he added.
Glenn McGrath is the director of the MRF Pace Foundation, based in Chennai. He revealed that he takes three trips to India every year to groom players in the academy. Hailed as one of the greatest ever fast bowlers, McGrath explained how he sorts out bowlers at the MRF Pace Foundation.
“We are, first and foremost, looking for fast bowlers. You can get someone to bowl a yard or two quicker but you can’t turn a 130 kph seamer into a 150 kph tearaway. That’s just the way it is. It’s about identifying talents who can bowl fast, but also guys that are tall, can generate bounce, swing and seam. We look at all different attributes — this comes under the skill side of things,” the Australian said.
“Then, secondly, we ask the question: are they prepared to work hard? You’ve got to have a really good work ethic to be a fast bowler. You’ve got to be prepared to work hard and put your body through pain. And then on top of everything, mental strength and attitude. The difference between a good bowler and a great bowler lies in the mind. Same as how the difference between a good cricketer and a great cricketer is the mental approach, the attitude, routines and how the individual handles things,” he further added.
