'BCCI should utilise his expertise, make him pace bowling scout' - Saba Karim lauds Irfan Pathan after Umran Malik's national call-up

Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim has lauded Irfan Pathan for playing a vital role in the emergence of express pacer Umran Malik. The right-arm pacer was recently included in the Indian squad which is set to play a five-match T20I series against South Africa at home.

Karim emphasized the fact that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should hire Irfan Pathan as a fast bowler scout. The former Indian pacer had coached Malik during his stint with the Jammu and Kashmir team.

Malik had an impressive Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 as he bowled with fiery pace and left several batters in a lurch. Talking about his IPL career, the pacer has played 17 matches and has scalped 24 wickets. He bowls at an economy of 8.83 and has already scalped one four-wicket and one five-wicket haul. After making his domestic debut in January last year, the 22-year-old has so far played in three first-class matches, one List A game, and 22 T20 encounters.

‘He has an eye to spot rare talent’ – Saba Karim on Irfan Pathan

As Malik was named in the Indian squad on May 22 (Sunday), Karim took to Twitter to praise the former Indian pacer.

“Irfan Pathan had a big role to play in the emergence of Umran Malik. He has an eye to spot rare talent. Strongly feel that BCCI should utilize his expertise and make him Head, of Pace Bowler Scout. #irfanpathan #aakashchopra #SouravGanguly,” Karim wrote on his official Twitter handle.

Meanwhile, India will be under the leadership of KL Rahul during the five-match T20I series. Some big names including Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Virat Kohli are missing from the squad as they have been rested. However, the likes of Avesh Khan, Dinesh Karthik, and Hardik Pandya have had an excellent IPL 2022 and will want to emulate their performances for the national team as well. The series will start on June 9 in New Delhi.