Fast bowler Umran Malik ended India’s three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka as the highest wicket-taker. Umran took seven scalps over the course of the series, putting him above Sri Lanka Dilshan Madushanka’s five wickets. As has been the case since he first broke out in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), Umran made headlines for the speeds he touched which included a 155kph scorcher in the second T20I which broke the record for the fastest recorded delivery by an Indian.
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer has noted that Umran has become a more potent pacer than what he was during the 2022 season of the IPL, in which he was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing campaign for the SunRisers Hyderabad.
“I thought he has improved considerably. Since I saw him in the IPL, I thought he will always be expensive in this format because he doesn’t have too many variations or slower balls. When you bowl at 145-150 clicks, sometimes you have to beat the batters with the lack of pace as well,” said Jaffer on ESPNCricinfo.
Jaffer said that Umran has honed his line and length to ensure that he doesn’t leak runs too often, apart from sharpening his wicket-taking skills. “Anything that comes with pace, goes out of the ground, as the batters are smart enough to use that pace. But his line and lengths have improved considerably. He’s also got that wicket-taking ability. He has been expensive in the games, but he has picked up crucial wickets. So, he has shown considerable improvements since I saw him in the IPL,” he said.
Umran took the wickets of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana while giving away 31 runs in three overs. His economy was hence the worst among the Indian bowlers but the wickets he took speeded up the process of Sri Lanka collapsing to 137 and losing the match by 91 runs.
