Former Australia cricketer Tom Moody has praised India pacer Umran Malik calling him a rare diamond. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer has impressed one and all with his ability to bowl fast and at speeds over 150 kph consistently.

Malik broke the record of the fastest delivery by an Indian in international cricket with a 156 kmph delivery in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. And he also holds bowling speed records by an Indian in T20Is (155 kmph), IPL (157 kmph), and ODIs (156 kmph).

“It’s exciting to see the Indian team embracing him and he’s getting the opportunity to play at the highest level. It’s where he is going to do his most amount of learning. Around a high-performance environment, he is continuing to improve, like all fast young fast bowlers, it takes time and you have to be patient,” Moody told Sports Tak.

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Tom Moody saw Umran Malik closely as he had made his IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2021 and then made everyone sit up and take notice in IPL 2022, picking 22 wickets in 14 matches and also won the Emerging Player of the Year award.

Moody talked highly of Umran and said that it’s difficult to find fast bowlers who can breach the 150 kph mark. He also spoke about whether Umran should be given a break in Tests as well.

“But he’s a rare diamond. You rarely find fast bowlers that bowl 150+ kmph. For me, I don’t have a crystal ball. At the moment, small steps with regard to his development are important. Indian selectors and coaching team realize that it’s important to integrate him in the T20 and fifty-over games. He’s getting those experiences,” Moody said.

The 23-year-old has 12 wickets in 7 ODIs so far and 9 wickets in 6 T20Is.