Lightning-quick Malik tipped for India after igniting IPL
SPEED demon Umran Malik is being backed to win a place in India’s bowling attack after lighting up the IPL with deliveries of more than 150km/h and wickets galore.
The 22-year-old returned figures of 5/25, becoming the first player on a losing team this season to be awarded man of the match, as his Sunrisers Hyderabad team went down to Gujarat Titans in a last-over thriller on Wednesday. Malik’s rise from the Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir to the IPL has been nothing short of a fairytale.
The son of a fruit vendor rattled Gujarat’s big guns, including captain Hardik Pandya, Wriddhiman Saha and
David Miller, to earn rich praise from cricketing greats.
Former Test captain Sunil Gavaskar had already predicted Malik would play for India and, after the express bowler’s five-wicket haul, said India should ”take him to England for the one-off Test and the limited-overs (series in July)”.
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen said on Star Sports: “I think what was more exciting than these five wickets is the way Sunny (Gavaskar) was celebrating in the commentary box.
“Punching the ceiling, jumping and screaming. I think Sunny did that because how often have we seen India producing the fastest bowler in world cricket?” India, once renowned for
producing spin bowlers, currently have a potent pace attack led by Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.
The fast-bowling revolution was started more than 20 years ago by Zaheer Khan, now director of cricket with Mumbai Indians, and has seen a steady stream of world-class pace bowlers emerge since.
Malik, menacing with a thick mop of hair and a silver chain, bowled Saha with an unplayable yorker at nearly 153km/h to raise the roof at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He flattened Miller’s stumps with another pacy delivery, and then bowled Abhinav Manohar for a duck to register his first IPL five-wicket return. “The idea was just to bowl as fast as I can. The ground is slightly on the smaller side, so the idea is to stay on the stumps, mix the pace and try to keep the ball within the stumps,” Malik said. | AFP
“My boy Jason Beukes is doing work in the flyweight division tomorrow, and I will be back in the lightweight division again.
“We also have a couple of great athletes like my friend Damian and others who are unfortunately injured, but you will see them soon once they’ve healed up.”
Full results from day one:
Bout 1: Male: Bantamweight 61.2kg (135lbs) Maurio Silva (Angola) beat Djadoo Lionel Ashley Cedric (Mauritius) via rearnaked choke in round two
Bout 2: Male: Bantamweight 61.2kg (135lbs) Sipho Mlaba (South Africa) beat Doris Bayanga (Democratic Republic of the Congo) in round two via rear naked choke
Bout 3: Male: Bantamweight 61.2kg (135lbs) Nathanial Komana (SA) beat Mwelwa Nkhata (Zambia) via unanimous decision, 30-27
Bout 4: Male: Featherweight 65.8kg (145lbs) Veja Hinda (Namibia) beat Tresor Musampa (DRC) via triangle choke in the first round
Bout 5: Male: Featherweight 65.8kg (145lbs) Nicolaas Vermaak (SA) beat Divaldo Vicente (Angola) via TKO due to strikes in round two
Bout 6: Male: Lightweight 70.3kg (155lbs) Ken Nyaondo (Zambia) beat Luan Tomas Shaka (Angola) via rear-naked choke in round one
Bout 7: Male: Lightweight 70.3kg (155lbs) Lewis Mataya (Zimbabwe) beat Allistar Kunene (SA) via unanimous decision
Bout 8: Male: Lightweight 70.3kg (155lbs) Geraldo Bok (Namibia) beat Vedaman Canee (Mauritius) via TKO due to strikes in round two
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