Umran Malik : New found pace machine
Out of the numerous young names rising and flourishing through the IPL, a name that has been a hotly debated topic is Umran Malik. The youngster has troubled many great batters with his furious and stunning pace, which has been his best weapon and a valuable asset for his bowling unit.
Umar Malik compared to Waqar Younis ( in Pic ) The pacer has been pretty economical in his first class and IPL career. Hitting boundaries against his expeditious balls has been a great challenge for every batter, making him a considerable threat to the opponent's batting line-up. With his consistent ability to bowl at more than 145-plus mph, Umran Malik has been a great success at death overs.
Opportunity grabbed well!
Sunrisers Hyderabad bought Umran Malik in 2021 to replace their crucial bowler, T Natarajan. Replacing Natarajan was not easy, and nobody expected the youngster to be that effective. But Umran Malik, in the first match against Kolkata Knight Riders, bowled a super stunning delivery at 151.03 kmph and marked his arrival. No Indian bowler has touched this margin before in the ongoing season. Later, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, the quickie broke his record by bowling a 153 km delivery! In the exact match, he clocked several deliveries at a pace of around and above 150 mph. Umran, with furious bowling, was catching everyone's eyes, and thus the pacer was being called the 'pace machine'!
Indian Waqar Younis?
Not everyone can achieve the feat of being compared with a legendary player. Still, Umran Malik, with his unique bowling action and thunderbolt speed, proved his potential and achieved this feat. Many believe that the right arm pacer's bowling style resembles Pakistan's iconic pacer Waqar Younis' bowling action. The former Indian Captain K Srikkanth also commented on Umran's bowling action, reminding him of Waqar Younis.
IPL: A perfect stage to display Umran's talent!
Making his debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad, KS Bharat became Umran's first IPL wicket, and since then, the sky has been the limit for Umran's thunderous pace! Although the youngster managed to grab just two wickets in his three games for Hyderabad the previous year, he still turned out to be a significant hurdle for opponents due to his unmatchable speed and perfect lines and lengths. Due to his outstanding talent, Umran was thus retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auctions. It was a giant leap for Umran Malik, and his exceptional skills were the reason. Umran had a significant challenge to provide justice to Hyderabad's trust in him as a bowler, but till now, he had been quite palpable in the first four games in the ongoing edition of IPL. The pacer clocked some stunning deliveries at more than 150 kmph in the season. During the match against Gujarat Titans, he registered the top 5 fastest deliveries of the season as 153.3 kmph, 153.1 kmph, 152.4 kmph, 152.3 kmph and 151.8 kmph! Umran has conjured praises from every nook and corner of the country after his emergence over the last few months.
With the necessary care and nourishment, we might also see Umran evolving as a regular pacer for the national side. Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri said, "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 will trouble a lot of batters." He further added, "It's about handling him properly. You have got to give him the right messages. The way you communicate with him will be significant."
Being around great bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar will help the raw talent discover and develop himself. Many believe that the youngster, with his incredible pace, has the potential to don the Indian colour in the future.