Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen needs the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to instantly blood Sunrisers Hyderabad tempo sensation Umran Malik into the Test facet, as there may be “no level ready round”.
Umran bowled the fastest delivery of IPL 2022 when he clocked 157 kmph during his team’s match against Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium, here on May 5. The 22-year-old achieved the feat on the fourth ball of the 20th over, which was hammered for four by Rovman Powell. Malik eventually finished his bowling spell with figures of 4-0-52-0. (Live Score PBKS vs RR IPL 2022 Updates)
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Earlier, the young cricketer had bagged his maiden IPL five-for in the match against Gujarat Titans at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Malik’s spell of 4-0-25-5 — the best of IPL 2022 so far — rattled Gujarat’s top and middle-order in the 196-run chase.
Umran, who has been enthralling cricket fans with his searing pace in the cash-rich league is learning the tricks from former South African great Dale Steyn, who is currently serving as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s pace-bowling coach.
“There are so many exciting young Indian pace bowlers in the IPL at the moment. Of the overseas players, only Lockie Ferguson and Alzarri Joseph are matching them for pace. Kartik Tyagi and Mohsin Khan are both rapid, but the one that’s most exciting is Umran Malik. He bowled a 157 kph delivery against Delhi on Thursday (May 5), which is serious pace,” wrote Pietersen in Betway Insider.
“It’s superb to see such daring and thrilling expertise on show, and he has an ideal mentor within the SRH dugout in Dale Steyn. There is not any higher man to sit down with and discuss quick bowling. To me, there isn’t any level ready round. Malik ought to be within the reckoning for India’s Test workforce, in addition to white-ball sides. Nobody enjoys dealing with that form of tempo.”
Pietersen opined that Umran can be employed in short 3-4 over bursts much like former Australian pace bowler Mitchell Johnson.
“You could use him like Australia used to use Mitchell Johnson, in short three- or four-over spells so that he can just let rip. If I was an India selector, I’d pencil him in for that Test match against England in July. The England batters are currently facing 70mph seamers in county cricket, so they certainly won’t want to be facing 90-95mph bowling all of a sudden. He (Umran) is a breakout star of this competition and India would be silly not to use him straight away,” opined Pietersen.
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