Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim acknowledged Irfan Pathan’s role in the rise of Sunsriser Hyderabad pacer Umran Malik, and thinks that the former left-arm quick should be made a pace bowling scout.
Malik enjoyed a glorious IPL 2022, topping the wicket-taking charts for SRH with 22 wickets from 14 outings. The right-arm quick bamboozled the best of batters with his pace, clocking over 150 kmph consistently while delivering the fastest ball of the season at 157 kmph.
The 22-year-old has been rewarded with a national call-up, with a place in India’s 18-member squad picked for their upcoming five-match home T20I series against South Africa, beginning June 9.
Ex-Indian wicketkeeper Karim expressed that the BCIC, should hire Irfan Pathan as the head of pace bowlers’ scout, given his role in Malik’s rise. Pathan, who bagged 302 wickets for India across formats, had coached Malik during his stint with Jammu and Kashmir earlier.
“Irfan Pathan had a big role to play in the emergence of Umran Malik. He has an eye to spot rare talent. Strongly feel that BCCI should utilize his expertise and make him Head of Pace Bowler Scout,”
Karim wrote on his official Twitter handle.
Meanwhile, India have named a relatively new-look squad for South Africa T20Is, with senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, among others being rested with the England tour in focus.
KL Rahul will lead the side, which also sees the return of Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik following an impressive Indian Premier League campaign. Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh was the other notable pick in the fast-bowling department. The first of five T20Is will be played in Delhi on June 9.
