"Very quickly he needs to learn.." - Ex-SRH coach Brian Lara gives important input for Umran Malik

Umran Malik's exceptional pace has marked him as one of the most captivating talents to emerge from Indian cricket in decades. Nevertheless, despite his explosive entry into the Indian Premier League (IPL) scene, Umran had to show patience while awaiting opportunities in international cricket.

Having debuted in June 2022 during India's tour of Ireland, the 23-year-old has participated in 10 ODIs, claiming 13 wickets while he picked up 11 scalps while donning the tricolour in the shortest format. His Test debut is still pending and his first-class career encompasses merely seven matches.

In the IPL 2022, Umran's performance stood out with an impressive record of 22 wickets in 14 matches, maintaining an average of 20.18 and an economy rate of 9.03. However, the 2023 season presented challenges as Umran secured only five wickets in eight matches, causing his economy and average to escalate to 10.85 and 43.40, respectively.

Brian Lara opines Umran Malik needs to diversify his skillset

Former West Indies cricketing legend Brian Lara, who previously served as the head coach for Sunrisers Hyderabad until the prior season, emphasized that while Umran's rapid pace is commendable but he must diversify his skill set to ensure sustained success.

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“He will be a sensation, but very quickly he will have to learn that fast bowling really does not trouble the best players in the world. You have to have the ability to do something with the ball, be sensible, and maybe understand times when you have to trickle back or understand the times when you have to up the tempo. He is very young and has got a lot of years ahead of him,” said Lara on the YouTube channel 'Wake Up With Sorabh'.

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