With the record of renowned bowler Shoaib Akhtar in sight, Umran Malik and Haris Rauf have been repeatedly compared. However, Pakistan legend Aaqib Javed sees no sense in the argument, dismissing it with a scathing “Virat Kohli” remark.
Young Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf and Indian pacer Umran Malik are two of the best bowlers in world cricket right now, regularly exceeding the 150 kmph mark on the speedometer. As the record held by legendary bowler Shoaib Akhtar approaches, the two pacers have also frequently been compared to one another. Aaqib Javed, a legend in Pakistan, abruptly halted the conversation with the stinging “Virat Kohli” statement because he saw no need in prolonging it.
Haris’ 159 kmph thunderbolt against England in the T20 World Cup last year was his fastest delivery to date. The nation’s fastest bowler, a 23-year-old Indian, has a peak speed of 156 kmph in international competitions and attained a speed of 157 kmph during an Indian Premier League match.
When questioned about the Umran vs. Hari discussion by Events & Happenings Sports, Aaqib Javed stated that it was comparable to comparing India’s best batter, Virat Kohli, to the rest of the world’s batters. In this context, he expressly made reference to the Pakistan bowler.
Aaqib Javed believes that reaching the 150 kmph mark continuously during a match is more important than beating Akhtar’s record. In contrast to Haris, Umran normally starts at that tempo but drops it to 138 kmph by the seventh or eighth over, according to the World Cup-winning pacer.
“Haris Rauf is better equipped and trained physically than Umran Malik. When it comes to ODIs, you can see that he starts with a bowling pace of about 150 kmph, but by the seventh or eighth over, it has dropped to 138 kmph. The distinction between Kohli and the other hitters is the same as it was before. Haris practices extreme discipline when it comes to his training, food, and way of life. No Pakistani bowler that I’ve seen has a similar diet to Haris’. Nobody has a more defined lifestyle than him. For me, bowling at 160 kmph is not a huge thing, but maintaining the same tempo throughout the entire game is essential, ” Aaqib Javed said.
In the past few months, Umran has significantly improved, often bowling thunderbolts and varying his line and length well. Umran’s economy rate is a little on the high side for the pace he produces, but the bowler has the support of numerous former cricket players, including Gautam Gambhir and Ajay Jadeja. They believe that as long as Umran’s wicket total remains impressive, his run-contingency shouldn’t be an issue.
In addition to bending his back, Umran Malik has taken two or more wickets in each of his most recent matches for India, totaling 14 wickets, including two 3-wicket bursts. The decision to substitute Shardul Thakur for Umran in the two ODIs against New Zealand was hotly contested. Mohammed Shami, a top Indian professional, also offered advice to Umran, telling him that if he could concentrate a bit more on his line and length, he would be unplayable.
“You are quite courageous. Best wishes to you and may your future be great. However, I do have some suggestions for you because playing with your speed is difficult. Just give your line and length a little more attention, and once you have it under control, you’ll be in complete control, “explained Shami.
