Facing Umran Malik in the nets is a nightmare: New Zealand player

Umran Malik has managed to impress several stalwarts. His ability to bowl quicker deliveries at will is a rare talent. As a matter of fact, he is arguably one of the fastest bowlers in the ongoing Indian T20 league 2022. Besides, Hyderabad's management have constantly backed him.

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Despite leaking runs in his initial few games of this edition, the orange army continued to support him and didn't drop him from the XI. The speedster didn't disappoint as he was absolutely sensational during the 28th game of the 2022 edition against Punjab. He took a four-fer, and didn't give a single run in the 20th over of the first innings. His last over saw him pick three wickets.

His performance enabled him to win the player of the match award. In the meanwhile, Hyderabad's Glenn Phillips drew light on how difficult it is to face him in the nets. While appreciating his talent, the Kiwi batter said that it was a "nightmare" to face him.

“He’s absolutely rapid. Facing him in the nets is a nightmare. I’ve got my chest guard on to not get hurt. Imagine what those balls (in the game) will be feeling out there. When it comes to bowling first, we really have to keep hydrating as much as possible. The heat is really playing a big part. Hopefully, we keep them in check and he (Umran) keeps bowling at that pace,” said Glenn Phillips during the first innings of the Punjab vs Hyderabad game.

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As far as the keeper-batter is concerned, he has played three games in the cash-rich league. He made his debut in the previous edition while playing for Rajasthan. However, he is now with the Hyderabad-based franchise. Further on, he spoke about how Malik and his skipper Kane Williamson planned their tactics. He stated that they must have felt that having a slip was a waste.

“Yeah, I think Kane and Umran have probably talked to each other and understood that having a slip in place is a waste at this point when Umran is bowling at that sort of pace. Having two men as the third man isn’t a bad option. It’s also a different thing that batters aren’t used to seeing,” he added