Umran Malik remained on the bench as India suffered a 7-wicket defeat at the hands of South Africa in the first T20I of the 5-match series in New Delhi.

While Salman Butt is eager to see Umran Malik make his debut, he wants the comparisons between the Indian pacer and Shoaib Akhtar to stop for now.

Umran Malik has been compared to Shoaib Akhtar due to his express pace | PTI-IPL Photo

Umran Malik has been compared to Shoaib Akhtar due to his express pace | PTI-IPL Photo

Salman Butt Doesn’t Know Why Umran Malik Wasn’t Been Tried In The 1st T20I

The wait for Umran Malik to make his India debut goes on as the team management decided against giving the express pacer a spot in the team for the first T20I against South Africa. Even though the Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer is presently an uncapped player, that hasn’t stopped people from comparing him to Shoaib Akhtar.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, however, has asked people to refrain from such talks as Umran Malik hasn’t even made his debut yet. As for Salman Butt, though Umran Malik has amazing potential, he still has a lot to prove in the international cricketing arena.

“I don’t know why Umran is being held back. Bhuvneshwar is an experienced bowler and India could have rested him along with other senior players. They could have tried Umran, who is different from other bowlers. He bowls fast and comes as a surprise element against batters,” said Salman Butt on his YouTube channel.

Umran Malik has been picked in Team India’s 18-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa based on his performances in IPL 2022. The express pacer, who scalped 22 wickets for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), finished as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

In the pace department, Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh have been included for the first time in the Indian squad to face Proteas in 5 T20Is, but both are yet to debut as India tried out other pacers in the 1st T20I in a losing cause.

Salman Butt Wants Umran Malik To Play International Cricket First Before Comparing With Express Pacer Like Shoaib Akhtar

Much like the Rawalpindi Express, Umran Malik is capable of bowling at an express pace. In fact, many also feel that the pacer from Jammu & Kashmir will one day go on to break Shoaib Akhtar’s record by delivering the fastest ball in international cricket.

Shoaib Akhtar holds the record for bowling the fastest-ever delivery in cricket. Shoaib Akhtar, popularly known as Rawalpindi Express, has clocked the fastest delivery in the world at 161.3 kmph and the record is yet to be broken as well. The right-arm quick played 46 Tests, 163 ODIs, and 15 T20Is for Pakistan from the period of 1997 to 2011 and claimed 444 wickets from 224 matches across all formats during his 14 years of an international career.

Controversial Pakistan batsman Salman Butt (File Photo | AFP)

“We have people in both countries who like to have such pointless discussions. You draw a comparison when something happens at the international level. Any fast bowler who can bowl 150 kph is an exciting prospect. Umran is as exciting as any person who bowls 150-plus. But let him play and do something first, then you can compare him with top-notch cricketers. I don’t think we should have these comparisons at this stage,” he added.

Umran Malik was selected in the Indian team for the 5-match T20I series but there remain a few pacers ahead of him in the pecking order. There’s a good chance that the express pacer will not even get to make his debut against the Proteas in the current assignment.

Sunrisers Hyderabad pace sensation Umran Malik has been one of the finds of the 15th season of the cash-rich league. He has impressed the selectors not just with his raw pace, clocking consistently over 150 kph, but also with his wicket-taking abilities.

In 14 games this season, he has picked 22 wickets for SRH at a strike rate of just 13.57 and an economy rate of 9.03. The Sunrisers Hyderabad’s leading wicket-taker this season had picked 22 scalps from 14 IPL 2022 games averaging an impressive 20.18 with a best of 5/25.