2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday notched up their fourth straight win of the season when they beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by seven wickets to move up the points table to fourth. Hyderabad's bowling attack, spearheaded by young Umran Malik, were in their best form as they restricted their opponents to just 151 runs.
Umran picked up three wickets in the final over that also witnessed a run-out, finishing the innings with four wickets under his belt. It was the first instance in IPL history where four wickets fell without any runs being scored in the final over. Umran, who has impressed all with his raw pace since making his IPL debut last year, finished with figures of 4/28. His performances also earned praises from West Indies legend Ian Bishop.
"I've been excited about this guy since I saw him bowl last year. Genuine pace, you cannot go to a supermarket and buy that. You can train someone to master line and length but can't teach someone how to bowl fast. He's bowling with hostility which means even the best of batters will be uncomfortable facing him," Bishop said on Star Sports.
The 22-year-old Umran and his pacy exploits have been the talk of the town in the ongoing IPL edition. He could also feature in India's lead-up to this year's T20 World Cup in Australia. The Indian team will play South Africa in a five-match T20I series at home, followed by two games in Ireland. Both series are scheduled for June.
Umran, who was a net bowler during India's last World T20 campaign in the UAE, has earned praise from many pundits and Bishop has predicted that the young quick to play for India soon.
"He scares you the same way Lockie Ferguson and Jofra Archer do, and Dale Steyn loves him. It's just fascinating to me what Umran Malik can become. If he stays fit, he's going to play for India and international cricket. I would also repeat how many Umran Malik's around this vast nation are yet to be discovered," the West Indian added.
In the game against Punjab, Umran caught Odean Smith off his own bowling with another brilliant short-pitched delivery. He then dismissed Rahul Chahar and Vaibhav Arora to finish off a brilliant 20th over. The win took SRH to eight points, moving up from the middle-table rush to climb to the fourth spot. Meanwhile, Punjab remained in seventh with six points from as many matches.
