Srinagar: Former India pacer has said thay Umran Malik doesn’t swing the ball and if he develops that ability he will be lethal like his coach Dale Steyn.
After having set IPL on fire last season , J&K pacer Umran Malik has struggled this season in IPL 2023.
Malik took 22 wickets last season and was the second-best by an Indian after Purple Cap winner Yuzvendra Chahal (27), with a strike rate of just 13.4.
However this season in the seven matches so far, Umran has picked only five wickets at 35.20.
In his last match, against Delhi Capitals, Umran was smacked for 22 runs in the only over he bowled.
Former India pacer RP Singh has opined that the 23-year-old needs to take a leaf out of SRH bowling coach Dale Steyn’s career and learn how to swing the ball.
“Yes one can debate on how SRH have used Umran this season, but even as a bowler you need to give that confidence to the captain that yes you can contribute towards the team. He has speed, and that is a big thing. If he can swing the ball like Dale Steyn…Umran doesn’t have that ability to swing the ball. The moment he manages to improve on that, maybe learn to bowl those cutters as well, he will be a different bowler altogether,” Singh was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“When you are bowling at the speed of 150kmph, you become the go-to bowler for the team and captain would then expect you to take wickets in situations or conditions where no other bowler managed to get a breakthrough. And he did that last season, but that hasn’t happened this time.”