Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler Umran Malik is in a league of his own in IPL 2022.
The Jammu and Kashmir pacer has become a star in his own right, clocking incredible speeds during the ongoing tournament. While wickets have eluded him, and he remains expensive, Malik's pace has sparked a debate about his seemingly impending India debut.
On Monday, Malik showed why he is regarded a once-in-a-generation bowler when he bowled the quickest delivery of this year's IPL. Bowling to Gujarat Titans at the DY Patil Stadium, Malik was clocked at 153.3 kph (95.2mph).
That was a pinch quicker than Malik's fastest delivery of IPL 2021 – 152.95 kph (95mph) against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi – and is easily the fastest delivery officially recorded by an Indian bowler.
On Monday, luck deserted Malik once again as a number of edges went behind the wicket for boundaries with one going between slip Aiden Markram and keeper Nicholas Pooran when both failed to go for the chance.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan is among the growing contingent of voices who expect Malik to play for India soon.
Apart from Malik, a number of other young Indian quicks have impressed with their pace and aggression this season. Kuldeep Sen, Prasidh Krishna and Avesh Khan have flourished on the quick wickets in Mumbai and Pune, with some – if not all – hoping to force their way into the India squad that heads for the T20 World Cup in Australia later in the year.
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Shoaib Akhtar (161.3kph / 100.2mph): The Rawalpindi Express is the fastest bowler the world has seen. The Pakistan quick made it official during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa against England, where he clocked 161.3kph while bowling to Nick Knight. He had already breached the 100mph mark at home against New Zealand the previous year but the speed guns used then were not approved by the governing body. PA / AFP -
Shaun Tait (161.1kph / 100.1mph): The 'Wild Thing' bowled a thunderbolt at 161.1 kph during an ODI against England at Lord’s in 2010. A few months earlier, the Aussie had bowled one just below the 100mph mark against Pakistan during a T20 in Melbourne. However, Tait struggled to sustain his pace in ODI cricket, let alone Tests. Action Images -
Brett Lee (161.1kph / 100.1mph): Just like Akhtar, the Australian is considered as one of the very few genuine fast bowlers of modern times who sustained their pace in white and red-ball cricket. Lee hit his absolute peak against the Kiwis in Napier, where he crossed the 100mph barrier against batsman Craig Cumming who struggled to put bat to ball. Reuters -
Jeff Thomson (160.6kph / 99.8mph): The Australian is seen by many as the benchmark of genuine pace bowling. ‘Thommo’ had a very simple approach to bowling: “I just shuffle in … and go WHANG.” That ‘whang’ was once clocked at 160.6kph during a study in Perth in 1976. Thomson maintains if he had been timed using modern speed guns and parameters, the radar would have read 180kph. Action Images -
Mitchell Starc (160.4kph / 99.6mph): The left-arm quick is one of the very few bowlers who can swing the ball even at 95mph. Starc registered his fastest delivery during a Test against the Kiwis on a dead surface in Perth. The full length delivery was defended by batsman Ross Taylor, which was a bit of an anti-climax. The batsman was dropped next ball, by the way. Reuters -
Andy Roberts (159.5kph / 99.1mph): The Windies quick was seen as the more dangerous among the Caribbean quartet of fast bowlers as unlike Michael Holding and Malcolm Marshall, he was deceptively fast and changed his pace up to surprise batsmen. His fastest ball bowled was against Australia in 1975 in what was then a haven for pacers – Perth. Getty Images -
Fidel Edwards (157.7 kph / 97.9mph): Not many talk of the diminutive West Indies pacers when discussing genuine pacers but he was right up there. The right-arm quick was famously selected to play Test cricket as an 18-year-old after bowling just four balls to Brian Lara during a net session. In 2003 against South Africa at the Wanderers, Edwards hurled his fastest ever delivery at a shade under 98mph. PA -
Mitchell Johnson (156.8kph / 97.4mph): Another Aussies on this list. You never knew which Mitch would turn up for any game. But when he was switched on, he was one of the scariest bowlers to face. Labelled by Dennis Lillee as a ‘once in a generation bowler’, Johnson’s fastest recorded delivery came, unsurprisingly, against the Englishmen at the MCG. Reuters -
Mohammad Sami (156.4kph / 97.1mph): The right-arm pacer was at one point as fast as Shoaib Akhtar but inconsistent performances meant he was quickly forgotten once he lost his place in the team. His quickest recorded delivery was against Zimbabwe in Sharjah in 2003. AFP -
Dale Steyn (156.2kph / 97mph): An all-time great bowler, Steyn had more pace than he knew how to handle at the start of his career. Spent the best part of a decade terrorising batsmen with late swing and pace, which was once clocked at 156.2kph while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL in 2010. Remained surprisingly fit during the peak of his career. Reuters
