Abdul Samad named vice-captain, Umran Malik included in J&K squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) youngsters Abdul Samad and Umran Malik have been included in the 20-member squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Samad has been rewarded for his consistent performances in the domestic set up and he has been named the vice-captain of the team. The hard-hitting batter is coming off from a good season in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL). He was SRH’s big positive in their otherwise dismal campaign.

Often coming in at lower down the order, Samad demonstrated his hitting prowess for his team and used to get his runs briskly at a strike rate of 127.58. Although he scored just 111 runs in 11 matches for SRH, his contributions were effective in the team finishing off well. Meanwhile, pacer Umran Malik announced his arrival in IPL by clocking speeds of 150kmp. He also bowled the fastest delivery for the IPL 2021 to Devdutt Padikkal, which had a lot of experts and critics gushing over his ability to bowl fast. The pacer bowled a 152.95kmph ball, which even impressed India captain Virat Kohli.

Malik was also included in the Indian team as the net bowler in the T20 World Cup.  The pacer will look to continue to perform well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which will get underway on November 4. Shubam Pundeer has been named the captain of Jammu & Kashmir.  He will take over from all-rounder Parvez Rasool this year. The team has a nice blend of youth and experience and will look to do well in the tournament.

Abdul Samad will be the vice-captain of Jammu & Kashmir in SMAT 2021, Umran Malik included in the team. pic.twitter.com/oJo2cYdYH0

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 20, 2021

India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has been mentoring the team since 2018-19. Recently, he was also appreciated for helping Umran Malik add a bit of pace and consistency in the bowling. Pathan would be keen to continue his good work with the team during the upcoming season.  This will be the 13^th edition of the SMAT Trophy. Tamil Nadu are the defending champions.

Jammu & Kashmir squad

Shubam Pundeer (c), Abdul Samad (vc), Ian Dev Singh, Shubam Khajuria, Qamran Iqbal, Vivant Sharma, Henan Malik, Parvez Rasool, Manzoor Dar, Umran Malik, Abid Mushtaq, Yudhveer Singh, Mujtaba Yousaf, Irfan-ul-Haq, Suryavaansh Raina, Aqaib Nabi, Waseen Raza, Ram Dayal, Jatin Wadhawan, Paras Sharma, standby- Umar Nazir