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Ex-Pakistan opener Salman Butt has dismissed comparisons between SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer Umran Malik and the legendary Shoaib Akhtar, saying that the Team India fast bowler was yet to prove his worth in international cricket. Notably, Umran Malik was yet to make his Indian cricket team debut, having missed out on wearing the national jersey in the first game of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa in Delhi.
Umran Malik's rise in Indian cricket has been described as incredible, considering he started playing with the leather ball only five years ago.
In the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), Umran Malik made headlines for consistently clocking 150 kph before finishing the tournament with a rich haul of 22 wickets.
Umran Malik's tracer bullets earned him rave reviews from the greats of the game, including Australia icon Brett Lee who compared him with another Pakistan legend Waqar Younis.
“I am a big fan. I think Umran Malik has got a lot of pace to burn. He is a competitor, a top guy, who runs in like a lot of fast bowlers in the past. Waqar Younis is the person who comes to mind,” Brett Lee told Indian news agency ANI.
Like everyone else, his stellar show in the IPL impressed the Indian selectors as well who handed him his maiden India call-up for the home series against South Africa.
Though Umran Malik didn't feature in the Indian cricket team's defeat to the Temba Bavuma-led side at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the Srinagar-born speedster has already been compared with Shoaib Akhtar, who is widely regarded as the quickest bowler in the history of the game.
Salman Butt, however, doesn't think it was the right time to draw a parallel between Umran Malik and Shoaib Akhtar because the Kashmiri bowler was yet to don the India jersey while the former Pakistan bowler retired with a bag full of wickets in international cricket.
Salman Butt stressed the comparisons between the two will only look nice when Umran Malik had played for India for a considerable amount of time.
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“I don't know why Umran is being held back. Bhuvneshwar is an experienced bowler and India could have rested him along with other senior players. They could have tried Umran, who is different from other bowlers. He bowls fast and comes as a surprise element against batters,” Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel.
“We have people in both countries who like to have such pointless discussions. You draw a comparison when something happens at the international level. Any fast bowler who can bowl 150 kph is an exciting prospect. Umran is as exciting as any person who bowls 150-plus. But let him play and do something first, then you can compare him with top-notch cricketers. I don't think we should have these comparisons at this stage,” he added.
Several ex-Indian cricketers have spoken in favour of Umran Malik's selection in the Rahul Dravid-coached side because they reckon the Jammu boy has the potential to become a world-class bowler for Team India.
Last month, former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri issued a call to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for straightaway handing a central contract to Umran Malik.
“Central contract straightaway for him (Umran Malik). Don't let him float around, keep him in the mix with the main players and let him learn by being around the Shamis and Bumrahs and see the way they train, the way they manage their workload but don't let him go astray,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.
Meanwhile, Shoaib Akhtar the first bowler to go past the 100-mile mark in international cricket has himself backed Umran Malik to break his record.
Akhtar, popularly known as the Rawalpindi Express, claimed that Umran Malik had all the qualities to be successful on the global stage but said injuries could play spoilsport in his career.
“I want to see him have a long career,” Shoaib Akhtar told Sportskeeda. “A few days ago, someone was congratulating me as it's been 20 years since I bowled the fastest delivery but no one has been able to break the record. But I said, ‘There must be someone who can smash this record'. I will be happy if Umran breaks my record. But needs to ensure that he doesn't get injured in the process want to see him playing for a long stretch without any injuries.”
“I want to see him on the world stage as he belongs there. At present, there are not many people who can cross the 150 kph mark. We have seen that Umran has been bowling consistently at that pace. I want Umran to have that 100 mph mark at the back of his mind. I will be happy if he enters the 100 mph club,” Akhtar concluded.
