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Malik has taken 24 wickets across 10 ODIs and 8 T20Is for India. (BCCI/X)
Umran Malik seems to spend more time off the field than on it – a plight common to several fast bowlers – but the Jammu and Kashmir speedster is adamant that he will not compromise on pace as he starts another comeback bid after a year out with injury.
A hip issue was the latest setback that kept Malik away from the game, but he is determined not to become a medium pacer, as speed is what sets him apart from most of the bowlers currently on the national circuit.
“Every fast bowler in the world knows that injuries are going to be a part of his career. But speed is my natural aspect. How can I compromise with that? Speed is my biggest strength, and I want to continue to maintain that strength,” Malik told ESPNcricinfo as he takes his first tentative steps back in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 (SMAT) Trophy.
It takes time for an express bowler to regain top speed, and Malik is in no hurry.
“You can’t bowl at 150(kph) straight away. You reach that speed gradually. I don’t want to show my speed to anyone, but I want to show my wickets. But it is also that after 10 years, I want to bowl at 140 [from 150] and not come down to a speed of 130 from 150,” the 26-year-old said.
Malik burst into national consciousness while turning out for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, where he regularly clocked upwards of 150 kph and hurried some top-class batsmen, including international players. But after being a revelation in the 2022 IPL, he wasn’t able to play more than a handful of matches on the trot due to fitness reasons. Before the ongoing SMAT, Malik last played in the IPL in March 2024 for SRH, missing the latest edition after being acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
His pace and potential prompted the national selectors to pick him, but he didn’t manage to make a big impression in his 10 ODIs and eight T20Is.
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KKR have retained him ahead of the mega auction, and Malik is keen to repay the faith reposed in him by the three-time IPL champions.
“I will work as hard as I have to. I will learn where I make mistakes. I will take care of myself and want to make my comeback memorable,” he said.
“After talking to many experts, I have started to understand my body better. I now know what things need to be managed better if I want to avoid injury,” Malik felt. “The first and last thing is that my fitness and form should be such that I play every match for the team and take wickets.”
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