IPL 2022: ‘Central Contract For Umran Malik Straightaway. Don’t Let Him Go Astray': Ravi Shastri's Message To BCCI

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri requested a central contract “straightaway” for Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Umran Malik. Shastri encouraged the BCCI to keep Malik in the blend and allow him to gain from the primary players Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

The former India all-rounder’s remarks came after Malik showed one more amazing execution for SRH in an IPL 2022 match against the Mumbai Indians on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Let Umran Malik Stay Around Mohammad Shami And Jasprit Bumrah For Better Learning: Ravi Shastri

“Central contract straightaway for him (Umran Malik). Don’t let him float around, keep him in the mix with the main players and let him learn by being around the Shamis and bumrahs and see the way they train, the way they manage their workload but don’t let him go astray,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.

Malik spilled runs in his first over of the match yet made a complete turnaround in his second spell, he had a telling effect on the match by getting the wickets of Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, and Daniel Sams. Malik utilized his greatest strength – pace – to shake the MI players.

He initially bowled at the assemblage of Ishan Kishan, squeezed him for any room, and got him out trapped in the deep. The right-arm seamer then excused Varma and Sams with indistinguishable balls that were banged in short and were focused on the body. Both Varma and Sams were rushed onto their shots and wound up giving basic catches in the inward circle.

Malik got back with figures of 3/23 in his 3 overs in the match which SRH won by 3 runs.

Umran Malik Is Going To Be A Handful In Test Cricket: Ravi Shastri

Shastri said Malik needs to get more reliable with his lines and assault the stumps more without decreasing his speed.

“Just tell him to do what he does best. Bowl fast… Also educate him on the lines you’ve got to bowl. Tell him to focus on those three stumps. You get that right first. After that, you can try and learn whatever other skills you want to add.

And I promise you this guy is gonna be a handful in red-ball cricket. If you add this guy to Bumrah and Shami I think the Indian attack is going to be a serious one.

“I think he’ll get better and better. Look at the lines he is bowling now. You don’t want him to cut down on pace. The last thing you’d want to tell him is while looking for control you cut down on pace. What you want him to do is get his lines right.

If he can attack the stumps consistently varying his length, he will trouble anyone. And he can really rattle a new guy coming in because he’s got the pace, he can keep the batter on his toes but it’s that line if he can hit the right areas without reducing his pace, it’ll make a huge difference,” Shastri added.

Umran Malik Tough For Any New Batter Coming To The Crease: Daniel Vettori

Malik, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, is as of now the fourth-highest wicket-taker of IPL 2022 with 21 scalps to his name in 13 matches. He has likewise bowled the quickest ball of the competition at 157 km/h and many accept that he can better that.

Former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori said he is tougher for any new batsmen due to his crude speed.

“The more erratic he is, the harder he is to face. That unsettles the batsmen, particularly at that pace. The batsman has so much to deal with. And when he gets that first wicket, it’s so much harder for a new batsman. That’s why everybody gets so excited with pace because pace to a new batsman in very difficult,” he said.

Also Read: SRH Qualification Scenario: How Sunrisers Hyderabad Can Qualify For IPL 2022 Playoffs?