Umran Malik not focused on breaking Shoaib Akhtar's record

The pace sensation Umran Malik seems to have taken Kendrick Lamar’s advice seriously and has chosen to stay Humble. In a recent interview, he said that his focus lies on bowling in the right areas, and not breaking Shoaib Akhtar’s fastest delivery record.

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Currently, the "Rawalpindi Express" holds the record for bowling the fastest delivery in an international match at 161.38 kmph but Umran Malik is no slouch either. In the recently concluded Indian T20 League game, he regularly touched the 150 kmph mark and went on to hold the title for the fastest delivery (157 kmph) for a long time, which was eventually broken by Lockie Ferguson in the final (157.3 kmph).

They say talent creates opportunity by itself, which is certainly true for the Jammu Kashmir born pacer. His pace bowling has not only won him the award for Emerging Player of the Year, but also landed him the ultimate opportunity for any cricketer i.e. a place in the national side.

When News24 Sport quizzed him on breaking the record for the fastest delivery, he said, “My focus is not on that record right now. I want to bowl well, bowl in the right areas and help my country win all five matches against South Africa. I want to keep it 150 or above to maintain my body and strength.”

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The right-arm quick gives a lot of credit to Dale Steyn as the Hyderabad pacer has turned into an absolute gem of a bowler under the bowling legend's guidance. In another humorous show of appreciation, Malik mentioned an instance with Abdul Samad, his Hyderabad teammate. While acknowledging his role, he said, “Abdul motivated me a lot. Whenever I used to bowl to him, he would say I am bowling slow. So, then I would deliver with more pace. And then the gym and proper exercise helped me in this.”

As the senior players, such Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are rested for the T20I series against South Africa, He will be hoping to make his international debut during this series.