“Bowl a million balls aimed at 1 stump” - Sanjay Manjrekar shares advice for Umran Malik

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has advised rookie pacer Umran Malik to work on his accuracy, but added that he should not compromise on his speed at any cost.

The 22-year-old made his international debut in the two-match T20I series against Ireland in Dublin, which ended on Tuesday (June 28). He had a tough time, conceding 56 runs in five overs at an economy rate of 11.20.

Malik bowled the last over in the second T20I, with Ireland needing 17 runs for victory. He was smashed for a couple of boundaries but held his nerve and ended up conceding only 12 runs. Despite the mixed results, Manjrekar praised the young pacer. Reflecting on his efforts in the T20Is against Ireland, he wrote on Twitter:

“What a rare talent Umran Malik is! All he needs to do in practice is bowl a million balls aimed at one stump.Accuracy & other skills will come in time.But NEVER should it come at the cost of pace. #UmranMalik.”

A talented fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir, Malik was called up to the Indian T20I squad for the home series against South Africa on the back of an impressive showing in IPL 2022.

Representing the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the right-handed pacer picked up 22 wickets in 14 matches at a strike rate of 13.41. He consistently breached the 150 kmph mark during the competition.

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“He has pace” - Hardik Pandya explains why Umran Malik bowled the 20th over

Although India won the second T20I by four runs, Ireland gave them a scare till the very end. The visitors posted 225 for seven, batting first, with Ireland posting 221 for five in reply.

Speaking at the post-match conference, skipper Hardik Pandya explained why Malik bowled the last over. He said:

"I was trying to keep all the pressure out of my equation. I wanted to be in the present and I backed Umran. He has pace, with his pace it's always going to be tough to get 18 runs (17). They (Ireland) played some amazing shots, they batted very well, credit to them and credit to our bowlers for holding their nerves.”

Chasing 226 for victory, skipper Andrew Balbirnie (60 off 37) and Paul Stirling (40 off 18) got Ireland off to a terrific start, adding 72 for the opening wicket in 5.4 overs. George Dockrell (34* off 16) and Mark Adair (23* off 12) also came up with fine cameos to keep India on their toes until the very end.

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