‘I don’t think about it’ - Umran Malik on whether he can break Shoaib Akhtar's record

Team India speedster Umran Malik gave a blunt response when asked about breaking Shoaib Akhtar’s record for bowling the fastest delivery. Umran burst onto the scene in 2021 for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad when he took the world by storm with his fiery pace. 

Due to his brilliant speeds, the pacer is often compared with Akhtar. The former Pakistan pace spearhead holds the record for the fastest delivery in international cricket with 161.3 kph against New Zealand in 2002. 

During the game, my only focus is on bowling in the right areas and picking wickets: Umran Malik

“Right now, I'm only thinking about performing well for the country. If I do well, and if I'm lucky, I'll break that. But I don't think about it at all. You don't get to realise how fast you've bowled during the match. It's only when we come back after the game when we get to know how fast I was. During the game, my only focus is on bowling in the right areas and picking wickets,” Umran was quoted by the Indian Express.

Notably, the pacer is seen among the list of probable players for the ODI World Cup in 2023, scheduled to take place in India. In his short career thus far, Umran has represented India in five ODIs and three T20Is, picking seven and two wickets respectively.

Umran was last seen in the recently concluded ODI series against Bangladesh. He is also a part of the T20I and ODI squads for the series against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to commence on January 3. Meanwhile, the management has decided to rotate the players until the mega event and it is highly likely that the young pacer will get opportunities to display his talent. 

India’s squad fir Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav (Vice Captain), Ishan Kishan (WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson (WK), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh(Bowler), Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar.

India’s squad for Sri Lanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice captain), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj(Bowler), Umran Malik, and Arshdeep Singh.