A fortnight ago, Umran Malik wasn’t the bowler he is today. Three matches into the ongoing IPL, the Jammu and Kashmir speedster was yearning for wickets, searching the right formula to maximise the impact of his raw pace in an unforgiving format. After watching his blockbuster 5/25 against Gujarat Titans at the Wankhede on Wednesday, it’s easy to forget that his first over this IPL had gone for 25 runs. Sunrisers Hyderabad had entrusted Malik the task of countering Jos Buttler—the current Orange Cap holder—with only two fielders in the deep and the Englishman taught the young pacer a lesson in how pace can be counter-productive in T20 cricket. Follow IPL 2022 Coverage
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That was the last time SRH bowled Malik in the powerplay. In the 30 overs he has bowled in eight matches this year, all but that over to Buttler and three at the death, have been in the middle. This surely is a sign of Malik maturing in the role of a T20 enforcer—the impact bowler who aims for wickets when the batters are not racing in fourth gear. The ever-improving Malik may now be knocking at the doors of the national selectors, all thanks to the SRH set-up for their guardianship.
SRH’s willingness to invest in Malik’s bullet speeds is understandable for pace was always missing in their crafty bowling arsenal. Their past bowling attacks possessed the swing of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma and yorkers by Natarajan but they were all strictly medium pace. This year, they have the tall Marco Jansen of left-arm variety, but still, no one does what Malik can—intimidate batters.
{{/usCountry}}SRH’s willingness to invest in Malik’s bullet speeds is understandable for pace was always missing in their crafty bowling arsenal. Their past bowling attacks possessed the swing of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma and yorkers by Natarajan but they were all strictly medium pace. This year, they have the tall Marco Jansen of left-arm variety, but still, no one does what Malik can—intimidate batters.
{{/usCountry}}It may not feel that way anymore, but retaining Malik (3 matches, 2 wickets, SR 36, ER 8 before this season) was a leap of faith. Just as retaining the young power-hitter Abdul Samad was and that move is yet to bear fruit. But that’s now only an asterisk to what will be remembered as the year IPL saw the emergence of Umran Malik—the raw, menacing speedster turned wicket-taker and stump-rattler.
It all began with Kolkata Knight Riders’ skipper Shreyas Iyer’s clean-bowled dismissal that got SRH bowling coach Dale Steyn jump off his seat. In the same match, Andre Russell could not lay bat on ball to Malik. In the next game, Malik got four wickets in an over against Punjab Kings. On Wednesday, four out of his five dismissals were bowled. A batter of Shubman Gill’s caliber backed away from his stumps and was beaten by pace; a power-hitter like Hardik Pandya was softened up with a bouncer before he holed out to the third man; David Miller’s middle stump was ripped out; Wriddhiman Saha—Titans’ highest scorer—was cramped by a yorker and Abhinav Manohar was done in by another full-length ripper.
“He’s been bowling beautifully and making a difference. I kind of felt it was only a matter of time before he had a day like this. An outstanding performance…a match-winner there,” SRH skipper Kane Williamson said after the match. With the brief being clear, SRH has got Malik to bowl to quirky fields, many patrolling the reverse V, not so much to prevent ramps and scoops but because so many batters have been top edging their attempted hoicks.
Bowling 150-plus has become routine for Malik. It would please him that the152.8 kph thunderbolt that castled Saha won him the bragging rights of edging out Lockie Ferguson, Titans’ enforcer and right now, Malik’s only competitor. “155? Agar uparwala dalvayega to who bhi daal denge (if the almighty makes it happen, will bowl 155 kph as well),” Malik said later. Kevin Pietersen said co-commentator Sunil Gavaskar was ‘punching the ceiling, jumping and screaming’ watching Malik’s maddening speeds.
“I think Sunny did that because how often have we seen India producing the fastest bowler in world cricket?” he said during the broadcasters’ post-match show. Gavaskar suggests Malik, who has already been on an India A tour to South Africa, be chosen for the one-off Test against England in July. It would surprise no one if Malik also gets an opportunity to audition himself for the year-ending T20 World Cup in Australia in the home series against South Africa after the IPL.
When you try and surmise Malik’s story, it’s quite a rise for someone who only four years back was playing tennis ball cricket in Jammu’s Gujjar Nagar locality. Given a chance trial in front of India U19 selectors on Vaishno Devi darshan, Malik impressed with his unadulterated pace and nudged the state U19 coach to offer him an opportunity. Two years later, on domestic T20 debut for J&K against Railways at Alur, Malik returned figures of 4-24-3 and never looked back.