IPL-2022 | ‘Umran will bowl above 160 kph one day’

Srinagar, May 7: Former India cricketer and J&K mentor Irfan Pathan has said that J&K speedster Umran Malik will bowl 160 kilometres per hour one day and will get better after the Malik bowled the fastest delivery of IPL-2022 on Thursday against Delhi Capitals. Umran Malik who has been making waves in the ongoing season of IPL with his sheer raw pace while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday bowled a 157 kmph delivery against Rovman Powell, thereby bowling the fastest delivery of IPL 2022 season so far. It is the second-fastest delivery ever in the history of IPL. Australia Shaun Tait is credited with bowling the fastest ball in IPL by clicking 157.3kmph. Umran Malik with 157kmph stands in second place while South African Anrich Nortje with 156.2 kmph stands at third. Umran with 156kmph also stands at fourth place while as Anrich Nortje with 155.2kmph claims fifth place. Soon after Umran bowled the fastest ball, former India cricketer Irfan Pathan, took to Twitter and said that Umran will get better with time. “160 will happen too and he will get better too. patience, Umran Malik,” Irfan Pathan Tweeted. While Umran did shatter the IPL record for the fastest delivery this campaign, he endured a tough outing against Delhi Capitals as he gave away 52 runs in his four-over spell without any success. Delhi Capitals won the game by 21 runs. Meanwhile former J&K captain and who is only one to have played for India from J&K, Parvez Rasool has said that Umran should be fast-tracked into the India team. “Given the form that Umran is in, I think BCCI should try to fast-track him in the Indian squad across all formats,” Parvez Rasool was quoted as saying. “There is some talk that he should be preserved for red-ball cricket, but remember he made his presence felt in T20 only when the Indian team management drafted him as a net bowler in the squad for the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year on the basis of his performance in IPL 2021,” Parvez added. Former England cricketer turned expert Kevin Pietersen has also said that Umran should be included in India team. “There are so many exciting young Indian pace bowlers in the IPL at the moment. Of the overseas players, only Lockie Ferguson and Alzarri Joseph are matching them for pace. Kartik Tyagi and Mohsin Khan are both rapid, but the one that’s most exciting is Umran Malik. He bowled a 157kph delivery against Delhi on Thursday, which is serious pace,” Pietersen wrote in his column for Betway Insider. “You could use him like Australia used to use Mitchell Johnson, in short three- or four-over spells so that he can just let rip. If I was an India selector, I’d pencil him in for that Test match against England in July. The England batters are currently facing 70mph seamers in county cricket, so they certainly won’t want to be facing 90-95mph bowling all of a sudden,” he added.