Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pace sensation Umran Malik remained in the headlines for his fiery speed in IPL 2022. He bowled the fastest delivery in the tournament at 157 kph but also became the youngest Indian bowler to take 20-plus wickets in a single IPL season.
The 22-year-old speedster clocked 157 kmph in an IPL 15 match against Delhi Capitals (DC) — which is the second-fastest delivery in the history of the IPL, as he is only behind Shaun Tait's 157.7 kmph in IPL 2011.
And the record holder, former Australia speedster Shaun Tait has been highly impressed with the speed and talent of Umran Malik
Tait, who was one of the fastest bowlers of his time, was impressed with Umran’s intensity and athleticism and said that there are high chances of him breaking Shoaib Akhtar’s record for the fastest delivery (161 kmph) in international cricket.
Shaun Tait told News9: “Umran bowls with high intensity; you can see he wants to just bowl fast, entertain and take wickets. He has natural aggression in his bowling and looks to have the body to handle it. If he's hitting those speeds early in his career then he has every chance to break records…it'll be one fine day when everything just clicks perfectly. But Shoaib Akhtar's record will be hard to beat.”
The Aussie also said that Umran should not hesitate from taking tips from Akhtar.
He added, “Umran will be receiving lots of advice, he's going to be a hot property right now, my advice is to be himself and think about the path he wants to take, not what other people expect of him.”
Tait signed off by saying, “We never know how long anybody's career is, but I would tell him to be professional with his body and look after it. Also, don't hesitate to call Shoaib Akhtar for some advice. My career was extended through T20 cricket, but Umran will play more games than I did. He has Dale Steyn at SunRisers Hyderabad so that's another major boost for him to learn.”
