The IPL season of 2022 is in full swing and the cricket lovers of Hyderabad are no doubt thrilled with the superb bowling of Umran Malik who represents Sunrisers. He is the latest fast bowling sensation who has made international experts sit up and take notice. His ability to bowl consistently at speeds of 150 kmph and more, has put him among the fastest bowlers of the IPL tournament.
Parliamentarian Sashi Tharoor who is a keen cricket follower said on Twitter: “We need him in India colours ASAP. What a phenomenal talent. Blood him before he burns out. Take him to England for the next Test match greentop. He and Bumrah bowling in tandem will terrify the Angrez!” Former cricketers have also predicted a bright future for this young pacer. Among them are Sanjay Manjrekar and former England captain Michael Vaughan who said that Umran will certainly play for India soon. West Indies bowling legend Ian Bishop feels that Umran is a work in progress and will rise to still greater heights soon.
A biomechanical expert, who analyses bowling actions to help cricketers, said that his action resembles that of Pakistan’s fast bowling legend Waqar Younis. Both have a similar run up and body position. But in the final stride Umran’s action changes slightly. He is a shade more upright which should give him an advantage, says the expert. Umran’s torso is perfectly balanced and aligned with his lower body. His jump mechanics too are very precise and effective. Umran keeps his momentum throughout the delivery and does not lose pace. He can improve further by getting his front leg to step higher in the delivery stride. This may enable him to put more body-weight behind the ball.
How important is a fast bowler’s role in cricket? According to statistics provided by S. Giridhar and V.J. Raghunath, fast bowlers have captured about 60 percent of all wickets in Test cricket. As is well known, even if a team has the presence of one top class spinner, it is the team’s fast bowlers who are the strike force. The world conquering teams from West Indies and Australia had always depended upon their famed fast bowlers to deliver results.
Fred Trueman, the great fast bowler of the past who once held the world record for Test wickets, has stated that a fast bowler must have genuine pace before anything else. In a book Trueman has written: “I know that in my own case speed came first and the rest later. Even in those early days when my length and direction were a bit off the target, I still took wickets in county cricket. Sheer speed is like that – it is a weapon in itself.”
Umran has these qualities in plenty. Moreover he is only 22 years old so more improvement can be expected in the next two or three years. According to his father Abdul Rashid who sells fruits and vegetables in Jammu, his son is a naturally talented cricketer who has worked hard and is now reaping the benefits of his dedication. “His bowling action and speed are all natural. He has done no special training to develop speed. It is a gift of God,” explained his father to the media a few days ago.
South Africa’s fast bowling star Dayle Steyn is now a member of the coaching staff of Sunrisers Hyderabad and he is highly impressed with Umran Malik. Incidentally Steyn himself has bowled at more than 150 kmph on many occasions and his fastest delivery was clocked at 156.7 kmph when he was a player. So he knows what he is talking about and his judgement of a fast bowler’s talent is highly accurate. “My job with Umran is to make sure that he runs in fast and makes players play differently. My job is to make him forward thinking about what rival batters are planning on doing,” said Steyn.
However Umran should also develop his own varieties. All the great fast bowlers had their special tricks in their armoury. Andy Roberts for example, had two types of bouncers. Waqar Younis had his deadly swinging yorker. Wasim Akram and the great fast bowlers of Pakistan mastered reverse swing before the rest of the world came to know what it was. If Umran puts in effort and gets the right guidance, he will also be able to pick up these tricks of the trade and become a front line bowler for India.
Keeping in mind the approaching World T20 championship, the BCCI will no doubt be looking to enhance India’s fast bowling strength. The selectors would do the right thing if they included this young tearaway speedster from Jammu.
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