Former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath has taken note of Umran Malik's performance with the ball in IPL 2022. The legendary seamer, who has worked with a lot of young pacers in the MRF pace foundation, said Malik needs to bring control with the pace. According to McGrath, if the youngster can do that, then he can play for any team in the world.

"Sheer pace is important but Umran Malik has to be prepared to put the work in to get that control and if he can combine control with that sheer pace then he’ll get into any team in the world," McGrath told Sportstar.

Umran, 22, a Jammu and Kashmir native, was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the last season and he has claimed 15 wickets in 11 matches in the ongoing edition. He has become the talk of the town for his express pace, consistently clocking 150+ kmph with the ball.

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McGrath, 52, feels the 22-year-old should focus on his conditioning since bowling at that speed can be taxing on the body.

"It’s about doing well in the second season and third season, once the batters get to know your bowling. When you are bowling 150 kmph-plus, that’s a lot of stress on the body and if you don’t put the work off the field to keep yourself strong, sooner or later you are going to break. When you are sitting and watching from the sidelines and they’re not picking you anymore, it’s not much fun," he stated.

Glenn McGrath cited the example of Jasprit Bumrah to emphasize the necessity of a fast bowler's off-field work.

"They say it’s hard work to get to the top but you should work twice as hard once you get there. That’s where a few cricketers, mainly bowlers, probably let themselves down. They do well in the IPL or get an [international] cap and they think they have made it. That’s when the hard work should start if they want to stay there and be successful. Bumrah — he puts in so much work off the field to stay strong, as do so many other bowlers," he remarked.

SRH has had a very erratic season so far, starting with two straight defeats and then rallying to five straight wins before losing four consecutive matches. With 3 more league matches to go, they still have a chance of reaching the playoffs. 

The Sunrisers will next take on KKR on May 14 at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

(HT INPUTS)