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'Umran Malik not as trained or fit as Haris Rauf. He starts at 150kph but drops to 138': Pakistan great's daring verdict
With legendary bowler Shoaib Akhtar's record in sight, Umran Malik and Haris Rauf have constantly being compared with each other. However, Pakistan great Aaqib Javed sees no point in the debate as he shut it with a savage "Virat Kohli" statement.
Young India pacer Umran Malik and Pakistan fast-bowling sensation Haris Rauf have been among the two top bowlers in the world cricket at present who have consistently touched the 150 kmph mark on the speedometer. And with legendary bowler Shoaib Akhtar's record in sight, the two pacers have constantly being compared with each other. However, Pakistan great Aaqib Javed sees no point in the debate as he shut it with a savage "Virat Kohli" statement.
Haris' fastest delivery so far has been the 159 kmph thunderbolt which he had delivered during the T20 World Cup last year against England. For the 23-year-old Indian, who is the fastest bowler the country has ever witnessed, he touched the 157kmph mark during an Indian Premier League game and his fastest in an international game is 156 kmph.
Speaking to Events & Happenings Sports, Javed was asked to weigh in on Umran vs Haris debate and he responded saying that it is similar to comparing Kohli with the rest of the batters in the world, referring the star India batter to the Pakistan pacer in this context.
Javed feels that it is less about breaking Akhtar's record than about consistently touching the 150kmph mark in a match. The World Cup-winning pacer pointed out that Umran tends to start with that pace, but it drops to 138 kmph by the seventh or his eighth over, as opposed to Haris.
"Umran Malik is not as trained and fit as Haris Rauf. If you look at him in ODIs, in his first spell he bowls around 150 kmph but by the 7th or 8th over the speed drops to 138 kmph. The difference is the same as it is between Kohli and the rest of the batters. He (Haris) is very disciplined with his diet, training and his lifestyle. I have not seen a single Pakistan bowler who has a diet like Haris. No one has a clear lifestyle like him. Bowling 160 kmph is not a big deal for me, but bowling at the same speed throughout the match is very crucial," he said.
Umran has showed tremendous improvement in the last couple of months, bowling regular thunderbolts and mixing up his line and length well. With the kind of pace he generates, Umran's economy rate is slightly on the higher side, but the pacer has been backed by several former cricketers such as Gautam Gambhir and Ajay Jadeja. They feel that Umran conceding runs should not be a factor as long as his wickets column is satisfying.
And rest assured, Umran has done exactly that. Besides bending his back, Umran has picked up at least two wickets in each of his last outings for India, picking up 14 wickets, including two 3-wicket-bursts. Umran was dropped for Shardul Thakur in the two New Zealand ODIs, a decision that was highly debated. Umran also received advice from senior India pro Mohammed Shami, who said that if he can pay a little more focus on his line and length, Umran will be unplayable.
"You have a lot of spirit. Your future is bright, my best wishes to you. But I do have an advice for you, you have a lot of pace and it's not easy playing it. Just focus on your line and length a bit more, and when you get that in control, you can be on top of the world," Shami said.
