Pakistani wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal said that Umran Malik would have been playing international cricket by now if he were in Pakistan. Lauding the speedster, Kamran Akmal acknowledged that India has produced quality pacers in the last few years.
Young pacer from Jammu and Kashmir, Umran Malik is in the spotlight due to his fiery bowling in IPL 2022. Talking about the exciting talent, Kamran Akmal claimed that he would have earned an international cap by now if he were in Pakistan.
He also defended Umran Malik’s rather expensive economy by comparing him with the legends like Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee. Kamran Akmal said, “If he was in Pakistan, maybe he would have played international cricket. His economy is high, but he is a strike rate bowler since he is getting wickets.”
“Last season he played only one or two games. If he was in Pakistan, he would surely have played for us. But Indian cricket showed a lot of maturity by giving Malik a chance to play in an entire IPL season. Brett Lee and Shoaib (Akhtar) bhai were also expensive, but they picked up wickets and that’s how strike bowlers should be,” he added.
Kamran Akmal also appreciated Indian cricket for removing the tag on them by hunting out quality pacers in recent years.
Pakistani wicket-keeper said, “After every match, his speed chart comes where he clocks around 155km/h and it’s not going down. It’s a good competition in the Indian team. Earlier, Indian cricket lacked quality fast bowlers, but now they have a plethora of pacers like Navdeep Saini, (Mohammed) Siraj, (Mohammed) Shami, and (Jasprit) Bumrah. Even Umesh Yadav is bowling beautifully. With 10-12 pacers in the ranks, it’s becoming tough for Indian selectors to make selections.”
Umran Malik is currently featuring for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022. He is their second-highest wicket-taker with 15 wickets in 11 games.