Umran Malik had turned heads with his pace in the 2022 IPL but he has often proven to be expensive in his nascent international career. India currently has a wealth of bowling options to choose from in all formats.
Mohammed Shami recently gave a reminder of how effective he is as a limited-overs bowler in India’s 2-1 ODI series win against England away from home while the likes of Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh also made an impact during the tour.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar seems to have rediscovered his mojo while Jasprit Bumrah was as lethal as ever. In addition to this, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal showed why he is considered one of the best-limited overs spinners in the world by picking wickets in conditions that were often more conducive for the pacers.
Umran Malik’s Extra Pace Is Needed To Shock The Opposition: Darren Gough
Former England captain Darren Gough has said that while he would consider Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh as options, fiery fast bowler Umran Malik would be an automatic pick for him in the 2022 T20I World Cup slated later this year.
“Bumrah, I think he is the best all-format fast bowler in the world. He is your first pick, the golden pick. Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes in because of his skill with the new ball. It is really important to take early wickets, slows the momentum down. We have seen that throughout the England vs India series. So I think he has to be on there,” Gough said.
“(Mohammed) Siraj has got good pace. I have been impressed with him when I saw him bowl in Australia and when I saw him in India. Then you’ve got Umran Malik. Anybody who bowls that speed gets into my squad. On the pitches in Australia, you might just need that extra bit of pace to shock the opposition.”
Umran Malik turned heads with his sheer pace in the 2022 IPL, regularly going past the 150kph mark. However, he has also gone for 112 runs in the 3 T20Is he has played thus far with several former players stating that the 22-year-old needs to add more variations in his arsenal to become a seasoned wicket-taker.
The express pacer has picked up 2 wickets in 3 T20Is, with a best of 1/42, averaging 56. He played both T20Is against Ireland and one T20I against England. Umran Malik was exceptional with the ball in IPL 2022. Playing for SunRisers Hyderabad, the tearaway quick bagged 22 wickets from 14 games and finished as the team’s highest wicket-taker of the season.
Umran Malik earned his maiden India call-up following the cash-rich league. He made his T20I debut in the recently concluded T20I series against Ireland. The youngster from Jammu and Kashmir was able to pick up just a single wicket in the two fixtures. Umran Malik successfully defended 17 runs in the final over as India clinched a four-run victory in the second T20I against Ireland, thereby winning the series 2-0.
Darren Gough Would Have Umran Malik, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, And Jasprit Bumrah In His 2022 T20I World Cup Squad
The Indian bowling attack is one of the best at the moment as they have some of the finest players at their disposal. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are some of the established names, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Umran Malik have also raised their hands.
“But India have got so many options, Shami is another player with so much skills with the new ball. Then there is Prasidh Krishna. There is plenty of options but I would have Umran Malik, Siraj, Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah,” he said.
Umran Malik made his international debut in the 2 T20I series vs Ireland in June. In the first game, he bowled only one over and gave away 14 runs, without taking a wicket. In the second match, stand-in captain Hardik Pandya gave Umran Malik his full quota of 4 overs and the 22-year-old pacer returned figures of 1-42. He was hit for 4 fours and 2 sixes and also bowled 3 wides.
His third outing in the India blue jersey was the third T20I vs England in Nottingham, which the hosts won by 17 runs. In this game, Umran Malik again bowled his full quota of 4 overs and gave away as many as 56 runs, and took 1 wicket. His economy rate read 14. He was hit for 6 fours and 3 sixes and bowled 3 wides.