'He has very little say in the selection' - Tom Moody after Aiden Markram's bizarre statement on Umran Malik's absence

Indian fast bowler Umran Malik has not had a great season in IPL 2023 as he has picked just five wickets in seven games and leaked runs at an economy of 10.35. Malik last played a game in the season against Delhi Capitals on April 29, when he gave away 22 runs in an over. However, the sudden absence of Malik has not gone down well with the SRH fans and several experts.

When captain Aiden Markram was asked about the pacer's absence at the toss against RCB on May 18, he gave an odd statement, stating that he was not sure about it. Reacting to Markram’s statement, former SRH coach Tom Moody has said that the SRH captain doesn’t have a say in the team selection.

"I think that implies that he has very little say in the selection and he may have an opinion on Umran Malik the cricketer and what he probably feels his season should have been like, with regards to opportunities to play," Moody said on ESPNcricinfo.

"I am not too sure, to be honest with you. Obviously, he is a player with the X factor, and bowls at 150kmph, but I don't really know what is happening with him behind the scenes. But, certainly, he is a player that has a lot of X-factors," Markram said at the toss during Match 65 vs RCB.

Talking further about Markram’s statement, Moody said that both captain and the coach should be on the same page when it comes to team selection

There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen: Tom Moody

"That's not ideal, you need your captain and your coach on the same page, working towards what you think is the best combination. Every franchise is different with regards to the involvement in the selection. There are other teams where there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen. I think that applies in this situation that we are talking about the Sunrisers,” the 53-year-old added.

Meanwhile, SRH have been knocked out of IPL 2023 as they are ranked last (tenth) on the IPL points table, with eight points in 13 games. In their last fixture against RCB, the Markram-led side posted of 186/5 riding on Heinrich Klaasen’s century (104 off 51) after being put in to bat first. In reply, RCB chased down the target in 19.2 overs courtesy of a sensational hundred from Virat Kohli (100 off 63), winning the game by eight wickets.