“If I’m lucky, I’ll break that,” Umran Malik on breaking Shoaib Akhtar’s 161.3 kph delivery
Experts call him the next big thing in Indian cricket for his consistently clocking 150+ kph.
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Umran Malik; Shoaib Akhtar
India speedster Umran Malik is often compared with Shoaib Akhtar, one of the fastest bowlers in international cricket. He bowled the fastest delivery of 161.3 kph against England during the 2003 ODI World Cup. Now Umran, who is India’s speed sensation, is often asked if he is looking forward to breaking Akhtar’s record.
The 23-year-old was once again asked the same question in a recent interview. He answered that if he’s lucky, he can break it but right now, his focus is on performing better for the country.
“Right now, I’m only thinking about performing well for my country. If I do well, and if I’m lucky, I’ll break that. But I don’t think about it at all,” Umran told News24.
“You don’t get to realize how fast you’ve bowled during the match. It was only when we come back after the game that we get to know how fast I was. During the game, my only focus is on bowling in the right areas and picking wickets,” the Jammu and Kashmir pacer added.
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Shoaib Akhtar backed Umran Malik to break his record
Experts call Umran Malik the next big thing in Indian cricket for his consistently clocking 150+ kph. Even Shoaib Akhtar backed him to break his record. “For the first time I have seen someone who is bowling 150kmph+ consistently and I will be happy if he (Umran) breaks my record,” the Rawalpindi Express had told Sportskeeda in 2022.
The young spearhead burst into the scene when he bowled a 150+ kph delivery in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 while playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and was retained by the franchise ahead of IPL 2022 and IPL 2023. He played 17 matches for SRH, scalping 24 wickets at an economy of 8.83 with his best figures of 5/25.
Right after IPL, he earned his maiden call to represent the national team, debuting on June 26 against Ireland. He last appeared for India in an ODI match against Bangladesh on December 10. He played five ODIs, bagging seven wickets. While in three T20Is, he scalped two wickets.
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