Umran Malik’s sensational performance in the IPL 2022 earned him a maiden India call-up for India’s upcoming T20 series against South Africa. Malik’s fiery blitzkrieg for Sunrisers Hyderabad made him the centre of attention of the fast bowling giants across the cricketing world. The 22-year-old speedster impressed with his raw pace and ability to touch 150 kph regularly, and made waves by winning the ‘fastest delivery of the match’ award 14 straight times in the recently-concluded IPL season.
Malik, son of a fruit vendor hailing from Jammu, has also earned praise from former Australia Brett Lee, who said Umran reminds him of legendary Waqar Younis.
Pakistan’s former ace fast bowler Waqar Younis was recently giving tips about fast bowling to youngsters, at a cricket academy. Younis’s tips, covering the technicalities regarding the fast bowling, can be utterly helpful to the IPL 2022 sensation Umran Malik.
From Gavaskar to Srikkanth to Irfan Pathan, every cricketing legend around the world is busy discussing Umran Malik’s capabilities and raw pace.
Waqar Younis, with whom the 22-year-old is being compared, was the sturdiest pillar of Pakistan’s bowling attack, whose sizzling pace and shrewd swing enabled him to scalp the wickets in every situation. With his artistic abilities and lethal reverse swing, the Pakistan pacer in his heydays destroyed the opposition glibly. In his illustrious career, Younis scalped 373 Test wickets and 416 ODI wickets.
While comparing the youngster with Waqar Younis, Brett Lee, the former Australian pacer told the ANI, “I am a big fan. I think Umran Malik has got a lot of pace to burn. He is a competitor, a top guy, who runs in like a lot of fast bowlers in the past. Waqar Younis is the person who comes to mind.”
Umran Malik’s ace quality lies in the fact that without compromising his action and the pace of his deliveries, he manages to effectively control the swing. His run-up is smooth and his follow-through stronger, making his deliveries lethal to batsmen facing him.
In the recently-concluded IPL, Umran Malik scalped 22 wickets at an average of 20.18 in 14 games.