SRH speed demon Umran Malik might have caught attention for his pace in IPL 2022 but we try to find out if he is a genuine fast bowler or one-trick pony.
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Raw pace might rattle the timber but not help a fast bowler sustain a long career. The art of fast bowling needs years of blood, sweat and tears to be developed and Pakistan legend Shoaib Akhtar was one of the prime examples of a genuine fast bowler. Akhtar will be known for his steaming run-up and quick pace but he was more than that. When England toured Pakistan in 2005 under Michael Vaughan, he bowled a fast in-dipper to Marcus Trescothick to trap the left-hander in front of the wickets. His next three victims were cleaned up at gentle pace of 69mph, 70mph and 66mph which makes a spin bowler’s reading but was bowled by a genuine fast bowler. So, looking at the Rawalpindi express, as one of the benchmarks for a genuine fast bowler, where does the Jammu & Kashmir express Umran Malik stands?
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Malik has made batters hop in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. He has hit the 150 kmph mark consistently. He bowled the fastest ball of the season so far at 154 kmph. He has impressed the connoisseurs of the game — Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen and his SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) franchise mentor Dale Steyn — included. But his straight line and quick length might not be suitable for international cricket, just yet, as it could be judged and batters could use it to their benefit. One such incident also came to the fore in the IPL 2022 when CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwak took Malik to the cleaners, hitting 33 runs off 13 balls, which included four fours and two sixes.
Malik had an idea of professional cricket till 2017. Considering that, the 22-year-old has made substantial growth in his career. But pace aside, his line and length, is an area which still needs attention in order to become a complete fast bowler. He still needs to develop the off-cutters, slower ones, among other variations to deceive the batters and he remains a work-in-progress. His current assignment is to develop the knuckle ball under the watchful eyes of pace great Steyn in the SRH camp.
