Making of Umran Malik, the find of IPL 15

MUMBAI: Every dream needs a push. Umran Malik’s came in a chance trial in front of India U-19 selectors on Vaishno Devi darshan in 2017. He bowled fast and nudged the Jammu & Kashmir U-19 coach into offering him matches. Opportunities still took time to come by. But even when he was just another 17-year-old tennis ball cricketer from a humble household—his father is a fruit seller—with no formal coaching and zero experience of leather-ball cricket, Malik possessed a burning ambition to succeed and raw pace.

Fuelled by that desire, Malik had gathered the courage to request the Jammu District cricket council coach Randhir Singh Manhas to hand him the ball during nets at the Maulana Azad stadium. That was his first tryst with the leather ball.

The story goes that Malik troubled everyone at the nets with disconcerting pace that day, much before the 2017 trials happened.

Malik was something even when he had achieved nothing. “It’s funny when I think of it now, but Umran was among the five (local) net bowlers at our Ranji training a day before our away game in Jammu in 2019,” recalls former India stumper Ajay Ratra, then Assam’s head coach. “There had been some rain and the wicket had some moisture. Umran started firing his rockets and after watching him trouble 2-3 of our batters, I asked him to stop bowling. He could have injured some of our batters.”

Ratra says he was surprised to learn that Malik had still not played first-class cricket. He advised Malik to be patient but also put in a good word with the

—On being asked if he

can bowl 155 kph local officials. “It’s common for Umran to give a shock treatment to batters who have not faced him before,” says batter Shubham Khajuria, Malik’s J&K teammate. “But let me tell you there is a world of difference in the Umran you see now and the one who was carted for 98 runs in 10 overs (against Bengal in 2021) on debut in the Vijay Hazare trophy.

Pathan’s inputs

The change came when Irfan Pathan (J&K consultant) worked with him on his jump in the delivery stride. “Once he improved and the force began to come towards the batter, I think

FIGURES: 1/1; GT 69/1

(BOWLED) 144 KPH (89.4 MPH)

Scoring just one off the previous three balls (two from Washington Sundar, one from Malik), Gill was ready to throw the kitchen sink at Malik’s next. In premeditated fashion, Gill made room to slash but pitching on good length, Malik stuck to an off-stump line and knocked over his stumps.

there has been a difference of around 10 kph in his bowling speed.”

Khajuria says Malik would also bowl a lot of no-balls before Pathan intervened. “When I faced him in the nets, before this IPL, I think he hit me on the helmet 3 or 4 times. He is a very different bowler now.”

At speeds of over 145 kph, Malik has to give direction to those attacking instincts in IPL.

But Sunrisers Hyderabad— with Dale Steyn as bowling coach—have handled him well. A fortnight ago, Malik wasn’t the bowler he is today. Three matches into this IPL, he was yearning for wickets, searching

(CAUGHT)

FIGURES: 2/9; GT 85/2

Uninhibited short-pitched bowling at his best. First ball of his innings, Pandya was softened by a Malik snorter that bruised his shoulder.

This time, it was wider, inviting a pull. Pandya walked into it but got an outside edge as the ball flew to third man.

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. With only two fielders in the deep, Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler had taught the young pacer a lesson in how pace can be counter-productive in T20 cricket.

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.

FIGURES: 3/15; GT 122/3

(BOWLED) 153 KPH (95 MPH)

Possibly the best ball of this IPL. On 68 off 37 balls, Saha was working the ball better than anyone. If he had to be bested, it had to be a knockout. Malik launched a yorker that landed at the base of the middle-stump. Backing away, Saha tried to jam down his bat but it was too quick for him.

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.

IPL’s ’happening man’

In this IPL Malik has cleaned up KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer, made sure Andre Russell could not lay bat on ball, got four wickets in an over against Punjab Kings and recorded his first fiver against Gujarat Titans. A batter of Shubman Gill’s calibre backed away from his stumps and was beaten by pace; a power-hitter like Hardik Pandya was softened up with a bouncer

FIGURES: 4/24; GT 139/4

(BOWLED) 149 KPH (92.5 MPH)

Simple case of “you miss, I hit”. Good length ball, pitched on off, it was in Miller’s arc for a huge heave over leg. Miller failed to connect, and the ball crashed into his middle stump. He already bettered his figures of 4/28 against Punjab Kings. Those four wickets though came in one over.

before he holed out to 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 fulllength ripper.

“He’s been bowling beautifully. 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 on Wednesday.

It may not feel that way anymore, but retaining Malik (3 matches, 2 wickets, SR 36, ER 8 before this season) was a huge leap of faith for SRH. But that’s

BY ANRICH NORTJE (FOR DC V RR IN 2020)

FIGURES: 5/25; GT 140/5

(BOWLED) 146 KPH (90.7 MPH)

Fifth wicket for Umran Malik. Once again a good length ball, once again pitching on off stump, it hurried on to Manohar, beating his outside edge, taking a faint tickle off his back leg before crashing into his stumps. He had taken all the Gujarat Titans wickets to fall.

now only an asterisk to what will be remembered as the year IPL saw the emergence of Umran Malik—the raw, menacing speedster turned wickettaker and stump-rattler.

Bowling 150-plus is now becoming routine for Malik. It would please him that the 153kph 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 toh woh bhi daal denge (if the almighty makes it happen, will bowl 155 kph as well),” Malik said when asked if he can bowl faster.