'Don't compromise on bowling fast' - Nikhil Chopra's advice to pacer Umran Malik

One of the finest bowlers in the IPL 2022, Umran Malik has been terrific with his breathtaking pace and wicket-taking abilities. Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the 22-year-old has scalped 15 wickets in nine matches at an economy of 8.60. However, he has given away 100 runs in the last two appearances with no wickets under his belt. In the latest interaction, the former Indian cricketers Wasim Jaffer and Nikhil Chopra have shared their thoughts on the SRH pacer.

Chopra reckoned that it’s quite hard to add pace to any bowler if his body has developed. He thinks Malik has got that speed, and the likes of Dale Steyn and Bhuvneshwar Kumar can play a key role to enhance his skills, and cannot contribute to adding to his pace. The former bowler further added that with skill and pace, it will be the perfect blend for Malik.

“There is a certain speed window, and from the age of 15-18, you try to bowl as fast as you can. But if your body is developed, it is difficult to add enough pace. But for somebody like Umran Malik, when he’s got that speed and power within him, and with the help of Dale Steyn and Bhuvi, you can learn the skills to swing the ball.

“You can practice as much as you want, but they can not give you pace, and only the skills can be taught,” said Chopra on Sky247.net presents ‘Not Just Cricket’ Show on CricTracker. “With that skill and pace, it will be a perfect blend. So don’t compromise on bowling fast, that’s a rare commodity,” added Chopra.

There is already an improvement in Umran Malik: Wasim Jaffer

Jaffer thinks the young pacer can learn many things from Kumar and the experienced support staff of Sunrisers. He reckoned that Malik has already improved in terms of his line and lengths, but needs to try variations in his armoury as well. Jaffer concluded by saying apart from pace, a special skill-set is required to master for a bowler in T20s. In the ongoing fixture against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Malik has been expensive to give away 25 runs off two overs.

“He can learn many things from Bhuvi, and other support staff like Brian Lara, Dale Steyn, and Tom Moody, who are seasoned campaigners. We have already seen improvement in Umran Malik, his line and lengths have been improved. He needs to work on variations, which will come with time. At this moment, it’s all pace,” said Jaffer.