"He Will Take Little More Time To Mature": Mohammed Shami On Umran Malik

Umran Malik is one of the most exciting fast bowling prospects in India currently as he has the knack of bowling consistently in the 150kmph range. The SunRisers Hyderabad pacer has bowled the fastest ball of the season after he clocked 157kmph against Delhi Capitals. India now has plenty of fast bowlers who can bowl with good pace and the biggest question in everybody's minds currently is whether Umran would earn a national team call-up.

"Umran Malik has the pace, but personally, if you take my opinion, I am not such a big fan of pace. If you are bowling at 140 but you can move the ball both ways, it is enough for any batter. He has the pace but I think he will take a little more time to mature because with pace, bowlers need to work on accuracy as well," Shami said during an interaction with select media on Friday.

When asked about the rising stocks of young fast bowlers in the country, Shami said: "Obviously, it is a good sign for any country when you see youngsters bowling with good pace and swing. When you see you have the talent, you have pace, clarity comes to your mind and you know what is best for your team. In the end, it all boils down to the experience so it is important to give the youngsters games and it is important to keep the youngsters along seniors. It is important to give these youngsters enough game time. 

"This year, many fast bowlers have come to the forefront in the IPL. It is good to see that the future of our country is well cared for. Mohsin Khan has practiced with me, he is young and strong. He will just need to focus more; you have to work on both physical and mental aspects. I just hope that all these youngsters do well going forward."

Umran already has a five-wicket haul this season and it had come against Gujarat Titans and his current wickets tally stands at 15. But in the last three games, the pacer has been found wanting and has been unable to take a single wicket. The fast bowler from Jammu might be hitting the 150kmph mark consistently, but has been bleeding runs in the past few matches.

Earlier this week, Shami's Gujarat Titans had become the first team in this season to qualify for the playoffs and Shami is happy with the wat his franchise has played this season.

"We have created a good team bonding; you have seen that we have given a complete team performance in every match. Everybody has clicked together; the package has been a good one for us. As a team, we have played well in the tournament," said Shami.

Topics mentioned in this article

Gujarat Titans Sunrisers Hyderabad Umran Malik Mohammad Shami IPL 2022 Cricket