IND vs SL: "He Has Shown Considerable Improvements Since I Saw Him In The IPL" - Wasim Jaffer On Umran Malik

The young pace sensation Umran Malik was instrumental in the three-match T20I series between India and Sri Lanka and finished as the leading wicket-taker. Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer believes that Umran Malik doesn’t have many variations and has significantly improved in T20I cricket since his performances in the IPL in 2022.

India beat Sri Lanka by 91 runs in three T20I at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Saturday, January 7, and clinched the three-match series 2-1. Following a successful IPL season in 2022, the right-arm pacer was fast-tracked into the Indian T20I setup. Malik took seven wickets at an average of 15.14; however, he was a bit expensive.

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Umran Malik Has Improved Considerably – Wasim Jaffer

Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo’s Timeout, Wasim Jaffer said that Malik still lacks variations, but his line and lengths have improved significantly. Jaffer said the Jammu and Kashmir pacer was expensive in the three-game series against Sri Lanka and took crucial wickets.

“I thought he has improved considerably. Since I saw him in the IPL, I thought he will always be expensive in this format because he doesn’t have too many variations or slower balls. When you bowl at 145-150 clicks, sometimes you have to beat the batters with the lack of pace as well,” Wasim Jaffer said.

“Anything that comes with pace, goes out of the ground, as the batters are smart enough to use that pace. But his line and lengths have improved considerably. He’s also got that wicket-taking ability. He has been expensive in the games, but he has picked up crucial wickets. So, he has shown considerable improvements since I saw him in the IPL,” he added.

He Has Everything, But He Lacks Slower Deliveries – Farveez Maharoof

Farveez Maharoof said the youngster would be an ‘asset’ to any team, as he can bowl with the new ball and bowl in the middle overs with genuine pace. Maharoof said Malik would become a successful bowler if he could develop variations.

“He’s an asset. If I’m the captain, and I have Umran Malik in the team, I’ll be the happiest. He can bowl with the new ball and come in the middle overs to bowl with real venom. Having mid-on and mid-off up, three fielders on the leg side, two on the off side, bowl short and try and unsettle the batsmen,” Maharoof said.

“He has everything, but he lacks slower deliveries, which I picked up quite a while ago. If he can develop a variation or two to create doubts in the batsmen’s minds, I think he’ll be a successful bowler. Imagine Jasprit Bumrah with Umran Malik, a complete bowler, and that should be the attack moving forward,” he added.

Also read: IND vs SL: “I Don’t Have Words For The Way He Has Batted; I Can Say One Thing For Sure He Should Be Included In The Test Team”- Gautam Gambhir On Suryakumar Yadav

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah