IND vs SL: “First Spell Was Disappointing” – Irfan Pathan On Umran Malik's Bowling In Kolkata ODI

Former India National Cricket Team all-rounder Irfan Pathan has slammed the Jammu and Kashmir express pacer Umran Malik for his bowling performance in the second ODI of the three-match series against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team.

The 23-year-old express pacer finished his spell with the figures of 7-0 -48-2 in the second ODI against the Dasun Shanaka-led side at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. He was quite expensive in his first few overs, but he recovered well and overall conceded runs at an economy of 6.85.

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However, Irfan Pathan was not at all impressed with the young pacer’s bowling performance and he criticised Umran for bowling a disappointing first spell.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan said: “The first spell was disappointing. The control on line and length was not seen at all in the first spell, which was much better in the last match. He was trying to ball in a good area there (in the first game). The truer the pitch, the more you have to try to bowl in one area.”

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“I am not saying that Umran Malik only has to pitch the ball in the right areas because his main strength is pace. He should not go away from the pace at all.

“He has to regularly keep bowling at 145-150 kph but along with that, he has to regularly challenge himself to bowl the lengths towards the mid-thighs at the stumps.”

Work in progress but definitely in the right direction – Irfan Pathan on Umran Malik

The 38-year-old further said that the express pacer bowls very well to the left-handed batters from around the wickets and he needs to create the same kind of angle to the right-handed batters to become more successful. He also labelled Umran as a “work in progress”.

“His biggest cue is that when he bowls around the wicket to the left-handed batters, you will always feel that he is not giving room, because that angle comes inwards, and the batters get bowled after getting the inside edge, by getting cramped.

“It means they get beaten by the pace and along with that with the angle. It will be very good if he brings that same sort of angle to right-handed batters with time. Work in progress but definitely in the right direction because he is regularly picking up wickets.”

Also Read: IND vs SL: “The Batting Was Amazing In The First Match And We Felt The Bowling Could Have Been Better” – Aakash Chopra

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