'If he was in Pakistan.....' - Kamran Akmal makes bold statement on Umran Malik

Umran Malik, playing for the Hyderabad team in the Indian T20 League 2022, has impressed everyone with his speed. He has constantly been able to produce deliveries over the speed of 150 kmph. His fastest delivery this season has been 157 kmph. The 22-year old has also taken a good number of wickets. He has taken 15 wickets, including a five-wicket haul, in his 11 appearances.  However, he has not been the most economical. He has conceded 9.1 runs per over.

Former wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal feels that if Umran Malik was from Pakistan, he would have certainly got an international call-up by now. Former Rajasthan player Akmal believes that despite Malik's relatively high economy, the pacer has a significant influence on the game due to his ability to provide the side with consistent breakthroughs.

"If he was in Pakistan, maybe he would have played international cricket. His economy is high, but he is a strike bowler since he is getting wickets. After every match, his speed chart comes where he clocks around 155 km/h and it’s not going down. It’s a good competition in the Indian team," Akmal was quoted as saying to Paktv.tv.

In addition to this, The former Pakistan player said that the team made a good decision to play him in the XI throughout the season. He also compared the young bowler to legendary pacers such as Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar.

"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," Akmal added.

In comparison to previous eras, Akmal says India now have a variety of quick bowlers. He believes that the Indian selectors would have a difficult time in selecting squad members in the near future. "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," he said.