"Umran Malik bowls very fast, but is quite wayward" - Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has stated that Team India's rookie pacer Umran Malik's bowling is bound to get better as he plays more matches in international cricket.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he pointed out that while Umran has the pace, he still needs to get better with his line and length. Kaneria opined that the right-armer is quite wayward and lacks control.
However, he suggested that the talented youngster would get better under the guidance of India's coaching staff. Kaneria mentioned that there is always extra pressure when you're representing your country.
He stated:
"Umran Malik bowls very fast, but he has a long way to go as he is quite wayward. He will improve as he plays more matches. It is not easy to handle the pressure of playing international cricket. Playing for an IPL franchise is different, but things are completely different in international cricket as there are a lot of eyeballs on you."
Malik was exceptional with the ball in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL 2022). Playing for SunRisers Hyderabad, the tearaway quick bagged 22 wickets from 14 games and finished as the team's highest wicket-taker of the season.
Malik earned his maiden India call-up following the cash-rich league. He made his T20I debut in the recently concluded T20I series against Ireland. The youngster from Jammu was able to pick up just a single wicket in the two fixtures.
"They were up against some quality Indian bowlers" - Danish Kaneria on Ireland's batting performance in 2nd T20I vs India
The former cricketer highlighted how Ireland played fearless cricket while chasing a mammoth total of 225 in the second T20I. He added that the Irish batters played exceptionally well against Indian bowlers who have achieved great success in the IPL.
Kaneria added:
"It takes courage to chase a target like 225 in T20 cricket. Ireland played with a lot of confidence and entertained us with their batting. They were up against some quality Indian bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, Axar Patel, and Harshal Patel. These are the bowlers who have proved their mettle in the IPL."
Ireland almost managed to secure a miraculous victory against Hardik Pandya and Co. However, the hosts ultimately fell short of the target by four runs and finished at 221/5 after 20 overs.
So close.
We lose by four runs.
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Skipper Andrew Balbirnie was the top performer with the bat for the hosts as he slammed a gutsy half-century at the top of the order. The dynamic batter dazzled the viewers with his quick-fire knock of 60 from just 37 deliveries.