Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer reckons Umran Malik has improved considerably after his impressive performances in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. The gun speedster scalped seven wickets in three matches against the visitors at an average of 15.14 and thus finished as the leading wicket-taker of the series.
Though Malik conceded his runs at a high economy rate of 9.64 in the series, he was always impressive with his brisk pace. Furthermore, there is no doubt that Malik has improved his line and length manifold and he was able to reap his rewards. Moreover, Malik consistently bowled the yorker length against the Island country.
Wasim Jaffer said on ESPN Cricinfo Timeout, “I thought he has improved considerably. Since I saw him in the IPL, I thought he will always be expensive in this format because he doesn’t have too many variations or slower balls. When you bowl at 145-150 clicks, sometimes you have to beat the batters with the lack of pace as well.”
“Anything that comes with pace, goes out of the ground, as the batters are smart enough to use that pace. But his line and lengths have improved considerably. He’s also got that wicket-taking ability. He has been expensive in the games, but he has picked up crucial wickets. So, he has shown considerable improvements since I saw him in the IPL.”
Malik has definitely shown the potential to be a match-winner and he can get wickets at regular intervals. The youngster will definitely improve more with experience and he is expected to keep growing in stature.
On the other hand, former Sri Lankan medium-pacer Farveez Maharoof was also full of praise on Umran Malik for his raw pace.
“He’s an asset. If I’m the captain, and I have Umran Malik in the team, I’ll be the happiest. He can bowl with the new ball and come in the middle overs to bowl with real venom. Having mid-on and mid-off up, three fielders on the leg side, two on the off side, bowl short and try and unsettle the batsmen.”
“He has everything, but he lacks slower deliveries, which I picked up quite a while ago. If he can develop a variation or two to create doubts in the batsmen’s minds, I think he’ll be a successful bowler. Imagine Jasprit Bumrah with Umran Malik, a complete bowler, and that should be the attack moving forward.”
Malik is also part of the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which will kick off on Tuesday in Guwahati.
