Sunrisers Hyderabad’s fast bowling sensation Umran Malik’s exploits on the field in recent times are well known by the cricketing fraternity. The youngster is known to bowl serious pace, often having some of the world’s best batsmen struggling at the crease, unable to deal with him.
However, his teammate Glenn Phillips has revealed a bit of inside information, disclosing that most batsmen within the SRH camp are afraid to face the speedster and that he himself wears a chest guard while facing Malik as protection against his searing pace.
The 22-year-old had a dream game against Punjab Kings, where he bowled a spectacular final over, conceding no runs, while castling Vaibhav Arora and Rahul Chahar off successive deliveries to finish with match-winning figures of 4/28 in his quota of four overs.
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Malik joined the elite club as he became just the fourth bowler after Lasith Malinga, Irfan Pathan, and Jaydev Unadkat to not concede a single run in the 20th over of an IPL innings.
“He’s absolutely rapid. Facing him in the nets is a nightmare. I’ve got my chest guard on to not get hurt. Imagine what those balls (in the game) will be feeling out there.
When it comes to bowling first, we really have to keep hydrating as much as possible. The heat is really playing a big part. Hopefully, we keep them in check and he (Umran) keeps bowling at that pace,”
Phillips said after the Punjab innings.
Malik’s wonderful spell of bowling meant that PBKS were restricted to a modest total of 151 in their 20 overs, which the Sunrisers chased down without breaking a sweat. Malik was named man of the match for his outstanding spell of bowling.
“Yeah, I think Kane and Umran have probably talked to each other and understood that having a slip in place is a waste at this point when Umran is bowling at that sort of pace. Having two men as the third man isn’t a bad option. It’s also a different thing that batters aren’t used to seeing,”
Phillips concluded.
