Young tearaway fast bowler Umran Malik on Tuesday bowled a 156 kph delivery to better his own record and deliver the fastest ball for India in international cricket, during the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old achieved the milestone in the 14th over of the Sri Lankan innings. He picked 3/57 in his eight overs and acted as the middle-overs enforcer for India.
Recently, Umran had surpassed Jasprit Bumrah (153.6 kmph) to bowl the fastest delivery in international cricket by an Indian after clocking 155 kmph delivery in the first T20I against Sri Lanka.
Notably, the Jammu and Kashmir pacer has also bowled at a speed of 157 kmph in the IPL. He has been on the money off late controlling his line and length well apart from delivering balls at extreme pace.
“I have played 6 games, I just want to bowl well and in the right areas. The wicket was flat, I spoke with Siraj bhai, Shami bhai, the input was to make the most of my pace. I want to be as accurate as possible,” said Umran after India’s win.
Virat Kohli’s 45th ODI century and captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill fifties powered India to a 67-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first game and 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Sports / by awazthevoice.in / January 11th, 2023
Umran Malik, the young pace sensation from Jammu and Kashmir, has done it again.
The 22-year-old Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer on Tuesday set the internet on fire by sending a 150-kmph delivery in the first over of his team’s IPL 2022 match against Rajasthan Royals at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, here.
And this is not the first time that the express pacer has clocked the 150-kmph on the speed gun in the IPL.
In the second leg of the IPL played in United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malik sent down a 153-kmph thunderbolt, the fastest delivery in IPL history, and had both his skipper Kane Williamson and the then India captain Virat Kohli gushing over the new speed demon of Indian cricket.
After seeing his ability to bowl with lightning speed, SRH gambled and retained him as their third player ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.
On Tuesday, that gamble seems to have paid as Malik was their best bowler against Rajasthan Royals, taking two wickets in his four overs spell giving away 39 runs.
Every time he jumps on the popping crease, he outdoes his pace. With his express pace, Malik got the wickets of Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal.
The instant stardom, that he achieved in UAE last year and enhanced on Tuesday, is just a byproduct of his confidence that made him believe that he could make it to the India team at a very young age.
When he was 18, he wrote in his bio on his social media handle, “India Soon”. The pacer, whose father Abdul Rashid is a fruit-seller in Shaheedi Chowk in Jammu, was confident enough to predict that one day he will make it to the national side. His dedication and perseverance paved the way into his state’s Under-19 squad.
A good performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 competition helped him make it to the Sunrisers Hyderabad team as a net bowler.
Malik was roped in as a short-term Covid-19 replacement for T Natarajan, who had tested positive for Covid virus ahead of Hyderabad’s encounter against Delhi Capitals on September 22, 2021. After that, Malik’s fortunes completely changed.
Malik, who was part of the Hyderabad contingent as a net bowler, has played eight T20 and one List A match for Jammu Kashmir and has picked a total of four wickets.
Hailing from a modest family in Jammu’s Gujjar Nagar, Malik began playing at a young age. His family has always supported his passion with his father, his mother and two older sisters always there for him.
In the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2021 IPL, Malik went a step further by bowling the second-fastest delivery of IPL — a 152.95kph thunderbolt that stunned everyone.
At the post-match presentation, RCB’s then skipper Virat Kohli spoke in support of the youngster, “Whenever you see talent like this, you are going to have your eyes on them and make sure you maximise their potential.” “I really felt proud on seeing such a big player talking about me,” Malik had said after the match.
His exploits resulted in him being asked to be part of the Indian senior team’s net bowlers for the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year.
By clocking 150-kmph again on Tuesday, Malik has proved that his exploits last year were not a flash in the pan. He has it in him to consistently hit the 150-mark on the speed gun.
Now he has to build on this brilliant start to fulfill his dream of making it to the Indian team.
–IANS
source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / The Tribune / Home> Sports / by IANS / Pune, March 29th, 2022
Malik, who bowled the fastest ball yet of IPL 2021, started with tennis-ball cricket
SRH’s Umran Malik celebrates his first IPL wicket in the match against RCB | IPL Twitter
It is no easy task to trouble Glenn Maxwell when he gets into the mood to hit bowlers around the park. The big Aussie was getting warmed up for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but fast bowler Umran Malik was proving to be a thorn in his side.
With Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal steadily building a partnership, Malik threw a spanner into RCB’s run-chase with three excellent overs, making the target of 142 seem like a long way off.
In the ninth over, the speedster bowled three consecutive balls that crossed the 150kmph mark. The third of those was clocked at 153kmph, making it the fastest delivery of this year’s tournament.
He conceded just five runs off that over, returning in the 11th to part with a measly four runs.
In the first over of that spell—the seventh over of the RCB innings—Malik took the wicket of Srikar Bharat and gave away just one run.
Malik had successfully taken the sting out of the RCB onslaught in the crucial middle overs, despite other bowlers like Siddharth Kaul, Rashid Khan and Jason Holder getting hit for boundaries.
Sunrisers won the game by four runs, and both captains would heap praises on the 21-year-old bowler from Jammu and Kashmir.
RH skipper Kane Williamson counted him as one of the positives of a largely disappointing season for his team.
“Umran certainly is special,” said Williamson. “We’ve seen him in the nets for a couple of seasons. [It is a] special opportunity for him and it’s not surprising to see him come and do well. [He has] been a really valuable addition to the side.”
RCB captain Virat Kohli noted that it was important to track Malik’s progress from here.
“This tournament throws up talent every year. Good to see a guy bowling at 150 clicks. It is important to understand the progress of individuals from here on,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
“The pool of fast bowlers being strong is always a good sign for Indian cricket and whenever you see talent like this, you are going to have your eyes on them and make sure you maximise their potential.”
After the game, Malik would request Kohli to autograph his jersey, the Indian captain gladly obliging.
Humble beginnings
Malik made his IPL debut against Kolkata Knight Riders on October 3, in which he bowled a 151kmph delivery, which was the fastest by an Indian in the tournament this year. He would only better that, twice, in the ninth over against RCB.
Malik is the son of a vegetable vendor in Jammu. His father told a news channel after his IPL debut that it was no ordinary achievement for their family, because of their financial status.
He was a net bowler for the Sunrisers for two years until getting his big break this week, owing to the absence of T. Natarajan who is down with Covid-19.
Malik would bowl nervously to the likes of David Warner and Kane Williamson in the SRH nets, he told the IPL’s official website.
“I prayed to god that let me bowl well to them. I thought if I have to beat them I have to hit the right length. I kept beating them and I learned from that, I kept bowling on that same length. That made a big difference,” said Malik.
Like Natarajan, Malik entered the sport as a tennis-ball cricketer. He credits this experience for his yorkers and raw pace.
In 2018, when he attended a trial for J&K U-19 players, he saw shoes with spikes for the first time. He had arrived for the trials in jogging shoes and would borrow the spikes from a friend.
The selectors took note of his abilities and he would make it to the U-19 one-day team. He would then participate in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali tournaments before being roped in by SRH as a net bowler.
There are comparisons being drawn of Malik’s action with that of legendary Pakistan pacer Waqar Younis.
Former Indian skipper Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel that his “rhythmic” run-up reminded him of Younis.
“His run-up, his action everything resembles a bit of Waqar Younis’s style. He has a very good rhythmic run-up and he is able to bowl at a good pace,” said Srikkanth.
Indian coaches and strength and conditioning trainers will be keeping an eye out for the young speedster to prolong his career and keep him from injuries that commonly plague bowlers with such pace.
The hype around such fast bowlers often leads to unreal expectations and eventually disappointment if they fall by the wayside. But should Malik maintain consistency, he would prove useful for the Indian team with his raw pace and excellent line and length.
(With inputs from PTI)
source: http://www.theweek.in / The Week / Home / by the Web Desk / October 07th, 2021
