Team India’s new sensation Umran Malik enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2022. The pacer impressed one and all with his sensational performances during the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League before he made his debut for the Indian cricket team in T20Is and ODIs. He got everyone talking about his raw pace and amazing bowling skills.
Umran, who made his T20I debut for India in June in a series against South Africa, has since made five appearances in ODIs, and three in the shortest format of the game. Umran Malik is also included in the T20I and ODI squads for the series against Sri Lanka, which begins on January 3, and is expected to play a big role for India in the upcoming series.
Meanwhile, because of his raw pace, Umran is often compared to one of Pakistan’s fastest bowlers, former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar. The Pakistan speedster holds the record for the fastest delivery recorded in international cricket, which is 161kph vs New Zealand, in 2002.
Recently, during an interview with News 24, Umran Malik was asked if he aims to break the long-standing record of Shoaib Akhtar. Responding to the question, Umran insisted that he doesn’t think about the record and is only committed to performing well for team India. He said: “Right now, I’m only thinking about performing well for the country. If I do well, and if I’m lucky, I’ll break that. But I don’t think about it at all,” said Umran.
He added: “You don’t get to realise how fast you’ve bowled during the match. It’s only when we come back after the game when we get to know how fast I was. During the game, my only focus is on bowling in the right areas and picking wickets,”
Umran last played for India during the ODI series against Bangladesh, last month, where he displayed pace, aggression, and accuracy with his mesmerizing spell. He gave a nightmarish time to Shakib Al Hasan and other Bangladesh batters. Umran is being backed by several former cricketers and experts for the upcoming ODI World Cup in 2023, scheduled to take place in India later this year.
