Umran Malik has impressed current and former cricketers with his sheer pace in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Many have said that the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) should be fastracked into Indian cricket setup and ticks all the boxes to be part of the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Rashid Latif is the latest to join the bandwagon as he feels that Malik has the “ability to bowl at 155 and even quicker” which can come in handy on Australian pitches.
"He has been bowling really quick. I think he has done exactly what Dale Steyn told him to do. You don't find bowlers who can bowl at 150 kmph regularly but he has that ability to bowl at 155 and even quicker. He is a speedy bowler and hitting him is not at all easy. He is currently playing T20 but I have a feeling that he will soon play for India. He can play cricket for a long time. This is a very good sign for Indian cricket that these fast bowlers are coming through the ranks," Latif said on the YouTube show Caught Behind.
Malik recently joined the elite list of IPL bowlers who have bowled a maiden last over of the innings. In the same game, he registered his career-best T20 figures of 4/28 which included three wickets in the last over. He is currently among the top 10 wicket-takers of the season with nine wickets from six games.
His economy rate was a topic of discussion for a while but in the previous few games he has justified his place in the side. The wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer became a hot topic as he beat the veteran batter with raw pace.
"He will learn a lot from this stint at SRH since the team is also playing well. He should start training for international cricket. We have the Asia Cup and then there is the World Cup. On Australia's bouncy pitches, he can be a very useful bowler. All the pace bowlers have shown a drop in speed – Starc, Cummins. Haris Rauf is there, but he has an effective bouncer. Even Shaheen can’t bowl beyond 145 kmph, but Umran Malik is different. I think in the time to come, in he will make a name for himself with the white ball," the 53-year-old added.
He made his IPL debut in previous season and played three games. It also earned him a place in the Indian contingent for T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE as net bowler. Later, the Jammu & Kashmir pacer was retained for Rs 4 crore by SRH before the mega auctions.
