Cricket News: Experts back Umran Malik

Former Australian pacer Brett Lee had said India missed a trick by not picking Umran for the T20 World Cup and expressed that his pace and bounce would be crucial. 

"Pace and bounce are crucial but if you are bowling at the death and if you are going to bowl length, you are going to be taken down," Lee stated. 

"So, pace up front is good, and pace at the back is good too, but it also depends on how well you deliver and execute your plans."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A 151kmph cherry from Umran Malik cleans up the batsman. <a href="https://t.co/OiudN54AHG">pic.twitter.com/OiudN54AHG</a></p>&mdash; Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) <a href="https://twitter.com/mufaddal_vohra/status/1600387031716483072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"So the extra bounce is more so for the batsman, how the batsman handles the extra bit of bounce because the sub-continent batters aren't used to that pace and bounce."

He isn't the only one who feels this way. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is also a big fan of the 23-year-old from Jammu and Kashmir. 

"The last time I got really excited at seeing an Indian player was Sachin Tendulkar, and after that, I am excited to see Umran Malik," Gavaskar said on the prospect of Umran making his India debut some months ago. 

But are they right to be this excited about Umran? The short answer is yes, and the long answer is what we'll get now. 

For one, India have a noticeable void in the express pace bowling department. That's not to say India don't have fast bowlers, but most Indian fast bowlers are medium or medium-fast pacers. 

Even the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and others are bowlers who can consistently hit the 140 km/h mark. 

However, Umran Malik is the only Indian bowler who can regularly cross the 150 km/h mark – and that in itself should be reason enough to stick with him. 

The T20 World Cup showed the value of having a bowler who can consistently cross the 150 km/h mark – the likes of Mark Wood, Haris Rauf, and Anrich Nortje all had success in Australia. 

Granted — Umran is below the level of the bowlers mentioned above; he's still raw and in need of regular game time at the highest level. 

That said, how exactly will he get that experience unless he is played regularly by the team? He is going to get worse if limited to bowling consistently in the nets. 

That is the other key reason why India needs to stick with him. The simple fact is: iron sharpens iron, and Umran needs to be playing consistently to get better. 

Once he does get regular game time under his belt, it will be easier to determine how far he has come and where he needs to go. 

Umran has plenty of potential, but potential only becomes consistent ability when put into action.