Young pace sensation Umran Malik is tearing up in the IPL 2022. The speedster made his IPL debut last season and only in his second match, he bowled the fastest delivery (recorded) by an Indian in the IPL‘s history – the speedometer showing 153kph!
Malik has continued on his rise this season, and, on Sunday, recorded his best IPL figures- 4/28 – versus Punjab Kings, helping Sunrisers Hyderabad restrict the opposition to 151, a total which they hauled down with 7 wickets in hand.
Looking at Umran Malik troubling the batters in the IPL with his extreme pace, renowned politician Shashi Tharoor feels that the 22-year-old needs to be drafted into the national side as soon as possible.
Tharoor also is drooling over the potential sight of watching Umran Malik be unleashed and bowling in tandem with Jasprit Bumrah in Tests in England!
“We need him in India colours asap. What a phenomenal talent. Blood him before he burns out! Take him to England for the Test match greentop. He and Bumrah bowling in tandem will terrify the Angrez!” Shashi Tharoor tweeted.
We need him in India colours asap. What a phenomenal talent. Blood him before he burns out! Take him to England for the Test match greentop. He and Bumrah bowling in tandem will terrify the Angrez! #UmranMalik https://t.co/T7yLb1JapM
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 17, 2022
Malik bagged his first Man of the Match award in the IPL. Malik also became only the fourth bowler to bowl a maiden 20th over in the IPL.
Tasked with closing out PBKS’ innings with minimal damage, the youngster stood up to the asking like nobody would have imagined.
Dot. Wicket. Dot. Wicket. Wicket. Wicket (Run-out). That’s how the last over read. Before that, he’d taken the important wicket of Jitesh Sharma, and then in the last over got rid of Odean Smith, Rahul Chahar, and Vaibhav Arora.
Malik said that he did try a few slower balls but was pleased to get his wickets with high pace hard and short length deliveries.
“I did try a couple of slower ones today, the yorker as well, I also tried to push the length further up. I hadn’t bowled a bouncer in that over (in which he dismissed Jitesh Sharma), was trying to bowl at his body, felt he could be cramped for room on the pull and the same thing happened,” Malik said after the match.
“My job is to frighten the batters with pace. I used to play tennis-ball cricket until 2018, and started practicing with the leather ball 3 years back. Abdul Samad, who used to practice with me, got me into the team as a net bowler,” he added.
