"He has made people run away by scaring and threatening them" - Aakash Chopra lauds Umran Malik's performances in IPL 2022

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra has lauded Umran Malik for dismissing batters by scaring and threatening them with his pacy deliveries in IPL 2022.

Malik, with 22 scalps, was the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded edition of the Indian Premier League. Although he was expensive at times, he also bowled a few match-defining spells for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked a few uncapped pacers who stood out in IPL 2022 and will play for Team India soon. He had the following to say about Malik:

"First on that list is Umran Malik, his name is about to come anyway. He is the Jammu Tawi Express, what a fast bowler he is. His ball has the sharpness. He has made people run away by scaring and threatening them."

While acknowledging that Malik has been taken to the cleaners at times, the cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the pacer was extremely potent when he was at his best. Chopra explained:

"He got hit in one or two matches, when he gets hit, he gets hit a lot, then the dam is broken, 40 runs in four overs. Quite a few times, Kane Williamson didn't bowl him his entire quota as well but whenever he has bowled well, he has taken three-four wickets and even a five-wicket haul."

Malik had an economy rate of 9.03 in IPL 2022. However, he was one of just four bowlers to register a five-wicket haul (5/25 vs Gujarat Titans) in the tournament - Jasprit Bumrah, Wanindu Hasaranga and Yuzvendra Chahal being the others.

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"When he started, he was spraying the ball around" - Aakash Chopra praises Umran Malik for showing improvement as IPL 2022 progressed

Umran Malik earned a call-up to the Indian T20I team based on his IPL performances [P/C: iplt20.com]

While observing that everyone was in awe of Malik's pace, Aakash Chopra picked another facet of the SRH bowler that impressed him the most. He elaborated:

"Of course, everyone will talk about his pace because he has that, either you are a fast bowler or you are not. But what I liked about him was that when he started, he was spraying the ball around, the ball was going everywhere if he see the bee-hive. As the tournament progressed, the bee-hive started coming closer."

The 44-year-old lauded Malik's learnability and predicted a bright future for him. Chopra said:

"His bowling became more well-directed. He conceded runs later also but it was not because he was bowling wide. The batters play well at times, use the pace well, which does happen. But this boy will go far."

Chopra concluded by stating that the crucial thing will be how Indian cricket manages the talented pacer. He added that it will be necessary to nurture him and handle him carefully.

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