Indian bowling sensation Umran Malik broke into the national side on the back of high-quality bowling in the Indian T20 League 2022. He captured everyone’s attention with his pace bowling, clocking in excess of 150 kmph for the Hyderabad team on regular basis.
He could not emulate the same level of performance for the national team and was left out of the squad for the 20-20 World Cup. Now, however, two bowling greats have come out and spoken in favour of the Jammu Kashmir bowler. Australian legendary bowler Brett Lee has come out and said that Malik would be a big miss to the Indian side.
“Umran Malik is bowling at 150 km per hour. I mean when you have the best car in the world, and you leave it in the garage, then what’s the point of having that car? Umran Malik should have been picked in the Indian squad for the World Cup,” Lee told Khaleej Times.
“Yes, he is young, yes, he is raw, but he bowls at 150 kmph, so get him in the team, get him to Australia where the ball flies through. It’s different when you have a guy bowling at 140 kmph and a guy who is bowling at 150 kmph, said the World Cup winner.
“The fact is that Jasprit Bumrah suffered the back injury, it’s huge blow to India’s chances (at the World Cup). I am not saying they can’t do it. They are a wonderful side, but a strong Indian side is the side that has Jasprit Bumrah. That would put pressure on guys like Bhuvneshwar Kumar,” added Lee.
The more he plays, the better he gets- Wasim Akram
Another bowling great, Wasim Akram has also termed this as a missed opportunity for India.
“Umran Malik is quick and India took him to Ireland and he got hammered. It happens in T20, but you got to stick with him. If I were in think tank, then I will have him in the squad all the time. The more he plays, the better he will become. Experience in Twenty20 matters a lot,” the former Pakistan left-arm pacer said at an event in Dubai on Tuesday.
“Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] is a very good bowler. He can swing the ball both ways and bowls a good yorker with the new ball, but once the ball is not swinging then he might struggle. You need pace there. Pakistan has got Shaheen Afridi, who is very fast, but has been out of action for over three months. So he has to play some practice games before the big game against India,” felt Akram, who has earned a high stature in the game.
