Srinagar: Former India pacer and J&K mentor Irfan Pathan has come out in full support pf tearway struggling J&K pacer Umran Malik by disagreeng with the likes of former cricketers Virender Sehwag who have suggested Malik to focus on line and length.
In IPL 2023, Umran Malin who is India’s fastest ever pacer, played only eight matches spread through the league. After having sensational IPL 2022 followed by India limited overs debut, one hoped to see Malik being regular in Sunrisers Hyderabad lineup who had retained pacer for Rs 4 crores.
However, that was not the case with J&K pacer struggling in the league without any proper team support.
“League’s fastest bowler sitting out baffles me. Umran Malik wasn’t handled well by his team,” Irfan Pathan was quoted by Hindustan Times.
Recently Virender Sehwag had castigated Umran for not learning anything from pace ace Dale Steyn at the SRH camp. Irfan Pathan disagreed.
“So first of all. Let’s take last year, he was the highest wicket-taker for SRH. Right? And he played for India after that as well. We talking about a guy who bowls 150-plus. And here we are stuck with line and length. If you’ll be bowling quick and you’re an asset to the national team, that thing comes automatically (line and length). So do you want someone to not bowl quick and concentrate on the line and length or do you want someone to just be quick? So with time, line and length comes automatically,” Irfan, who is an expert with Star Sports, official TV broadcaster of IPL 2023 was quoted by Hindustan Times.
“I don’t think we should be worried about the line and length of someone who bowls quick. Yes, you want that. Yes, it should be in your armoury for sure. You should have something in your armoury to surprise the batter apart from the extra pace. For Umran, adjusting his line and length – It’s not the right way for him. He should never compromise on his speed. He should keep bowling fast. Line and length will come, there are a couple of things I have in mind. that I will discuss with him in person,” the ex-India cricketer continued.
With an economy of 10.85, Umran only picked up 5 wickets in 8 matches for SRH this season.
“My advice to Umran is always personal. So it’s always been shared. It’s always been spoken to. He has been handled well by NCA as well. There are always conversations between me, the coaches and Umran as well. We have already made a plan about how to move forward with it. But yes, he should have been backed more. They should have been given a longer run. I give you a simple example, Tushar Deshpande. Similar economy, but he is getting games and is taking wickets – look at where he is right now. It’s not about the franchise, it’s about the selectors selecting the playing XI,” added Irfan, who played 103 matches in the IPL.