'I am not a big fan of pace' - Mohammed Shami feels Umran Malik isn't ready and will take time to mature

Umran Malik has set the stage on fire in IPL 2022 with his pace and has also picked up 15 wickets so far this season.

By CX Writer May 14, 2022, 12:59 IST

Umran Malik Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2022?width=963&height=541&resizemode=4

Shami feels India's fast bowling is in good hands with the likes of Umran, Mohsin Khan, Yash Dayal emerging in the ongoing IPL season.

Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Umran Malik has become the talk of the town in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season thanks to his sensational pace. The youngster has even clocked the second fastest delivery by an Indian in the IPL history, 157 kph. Moreover, Umran has also done well to pick up 15 wickets in 11 matches he has played so far.

Perhaps, a few former cricketers and experts reckon that Umran should be fast-tracked to the Indian team and should even make his Test debut in England later this year. However, Mohammed Shami, one of the leading fast bowlers in the country, doesn’t feel the same.

While he is happy to see Umran Malik do well with the pace he possesses, Shami revealed he isn’s a big fan of extreme pace. He reckons that it will take time for Umran to mature as a bowler and also highlighted the importance of the ability to move the ball both ways. According to Shami, if a bowler can swing the ball both ways, then even a 140 kph delivery is also good enough to trouble the batters.

Watch: Umran Malik's searing yorker at 152.8 kph hits the base of Wriddhiman Saha's stumps

“I agree that he has pace. However, personally speaking, I am not a big fan of pace. If your ball moves both ways at 140 kmph, and reverses, then it’s enough to trouble any batsman. So, he has pace, but will take time to mature, because, along with pace, we (pacers) need to upgrade ourselves too,” Shami said while speaking to the media on Friday (May 13).

Not only Umran, but IPL 2022 has unearthed a lot of young fast bowlers like Mohsin Khan, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Choudhary among many others who have done well for their respective teams so far. Shami is happy that India’s future in terms of pace bowling will be in good hands.

“I feel that this new crop of fast bowlers, including Mohsin Khan and Umran, are performing very well and have a lot of confidence. I hope that they do well for India in the near future,” Shami further added.