From a net bowler at Sunrisers Hyderabad, to the fastest bowler in India, Umran Malik has seen a magnificent rise. Not many players from Jammu and Kashmir go on to get IPL, or any contract; the most well known being another SRH player - Abdul Samad. The only international player from J&K has been Parvez Rasool. So who is he and how has he got here?
His story is inspiring: he didn't touch a cricket ball until he was 17, bowling on a cement wicket in the local nets when India's U-19 selectors saw him. That led to him becoming only the fourth player from Jammu and Kashmir to play in the IPL, as a net bowler for SRH, when Jonny Bairstow asked him to “bowl slower”. Since then, he hasn’t looked back; being retained by SRH, and now amidst the calls to be drafted into the international side. He doesn’t have Anderson’s swing, Ambrose’s height. Shami’s seam position: virtues of many greats of international fast bowlers; but what he does have is “the sexiest thing in cricket”: pace, and lots of it.
He is so quick, this is how his speeds in IPL 2022 read (up to game 40).
<120kmph: 1.4%
120-129kmph 1.4%
130-139kmph 6.4%
>140kmph 90.8%
His slower balls aren’t really slower balls, and it is very hard to keep up the average of 90mph that he does.
He bowls in the middle overs, and had 2 slips (v RCB). They all know, any edge is going to go flying over, justifying the presence of a fine leg, and sometimes a fly slip, waiting to gobble up the edge. Against KKR, all 5 fielders were behind square (below); he was so fast, none of the batsmen could play him; Shreyas Iyer kept backing away, and eventually got out clean bowled.
His control has improved drastically under Dale Steyn, a great of pace bowling; but he was not as lauded until now:
His first 3 matches this year had combined figures of 2/107 in 10 overs, at an economy of 10.7. But pace is pace, yaar.
His next 3 matches had combined figures of 7/94 in 12 overs, at an economy of 7.8.
His next 2 matches had figures of 6/38 in 8 overs, at an economy of 4.75. (Figures up to match 40) - an enhancement.
These are the figures of a much improved bowler, bowling with more accuracy and venom, alongside obvious pace.
Sun 1 May - Umran Malik has just bowled the fastest delivery of IPL 2022, at 154kmph. He has also gone for 0/48 (4). He has a TI (Total Impact) of -0.37 on the game, as calculated by ESPNCricinfo.
In contrast, Bhuvi has finished the innings with figures of 0/22 (4), in a 200-run innings. He has a TI of 34.07, slipping in wide yorkers and slower length & short balls outside off, being the most effective bowler.
However, the commentators are still talking about Malik. The fastest ball has just raced away for a 4. Malik has been smashed around the park by Gaikwad. But no one cares about that.
Because pace is pace, yaar.