IPL 2022: "He Will Soon Play For India": Rashid Latif On Umran Malik

Umran Malik has impressed quite a few legends with his raw pace and his performances in this IPL so far. Dale Steyn, Sunil Gavaskar, and Ravi Shastri have all spoken about how impressive the youngster has been in the IPL season so far and that he has a bright future.

Former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif is the latest to join the bandwagon. He said that Malik has been bowling well and learning quickly from Dale Steyn who is the fast bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad. The pacer has already taken nine wickets from six games so far in the season.

“He has been bowling really quick. I think he has done exactly what Dale Steyn told him to do. You don’t find bowlers who can bowl at 150 kph regularly but he has that ability to bowl at 155 and even quicker. He is a speedy bowler and hitting him is not at all easy.

“He is currently playing T20 but I have a feeling that he will soon play for India. He can play cricket for a long time. This is a very good sign for Indian cricket that these fast bowlers are coming through the ranks,” Latif said on the YouTube show Caught Behind.

The former Pakistan skipper also believed that Umran Malik is ahead of the likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Shaheen Afridi who have dropped their pace to concentrate on line and length. In the same breath, he said that the Malik should be considered for the T20 World Cup later this year in Australia and preparations for his India debut should be started soon.

He Will Learn A Lot From His SRH Stint: Rashid Latif On Umran Malik

“He will learn a lot from this stint at SRH since the team is also playing well. He should start training for international cricket. We have the Asia Cup and then there is the World Cup. On Australia’s bouncy pitches, he can be a very useful bowler. All the pace bowlers have shown a drop in speed – Starc, Cummins. Haris Rauf is there, but he has an effective bouncer.

“Even Shaheen can’t bowl beyond 145 kph, but Umran Malik is different. I think in the time to come, in he will make a name for himself with the white ball,” added Latif.

Also Read: PBKS vs SRH: IPL 2021 Acted As A Launchpad For Umran Malik: Father Abdul Rashid