His run-up, action resembles Waqar Younis' style: Kris Srikkanth impressed by SRH pacer Umran Malik

Former India captain Kris Srikkanth was left impressed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer Umran Malik after his eventful debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Sunday. The 21-year-old fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir made his debut for SRH in their clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and bowled at an impressive pace.

Malik went on to bowl the fastest delivery by an Indian bowler in IPL 2021 so far when he clocked up 150 kph in his very first over against KKR. The 21-year-old failed to take a wicket but conceded only 27 runs in his four overs while also leaving a mark with his pace.

Srikkanth believes Malik can be moulded into a long-term prospect by SRH. He also drew parallels between the youngster's action and Pakistan legend Waqar Younis' bowling action. Srikkanth said Malik reminded hi of Younis' bowling style. 

"Don't forget, Umran Malik of SRH, he is a good pick. That guy can be moulded into a fantastic fast bowler. Nitish Rana struggled. Some weaknesses of KKR's batting was exposed," Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel.

"He has just played 1 T20 game. See somebody made a very good point during commentary - Jasprit Bumrah was picked like this. Today see, where he is. You never know. His run-up, his action everything resembles a bit of Waqar Younis's style. He has a very good rhythmic run-up and he is able to bowl at a good pace. The way he was making Nitish Rana dance was amazing," he added.

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Malik, who was a net bowler for SRH before, was roped in as a replacement for T Natarajan by the franchise. Natarajan was ruled out of the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19. Malik has so far played only 2 T20s and 1 List A game in his career.