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“There is still time for him”: Glenn McGrath wants Umran Malik to play first-class cricket before making test debut

Rishikesh Sharma
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Australian pacer Glenn McGrath has said that he wants Umran Malik to play some FC games before making his test debut for India.

Australian pacer Glenn McGrath has said that he wants Umran Malik to play some FC games before making his test debut for India.

Umran Malik could not make his T20I debut in the T20I series against South Africa, but Rahul Dravid did say that he will get better with time. Malik has been included in the T20I series against Ireland as well.

Malik finished the IPL 2022 with 22 wickets in 14 games at an average of 20.18, and he finished as the 4th highest wicket-taker of the tournament. He also won the emerging player of the year award. Umran recorded the 2nd highest speed of IPL 2022 (157 Km/h), which is the 3rd fastest ball in the history of the Indian Premier League.

Glenn McGrath wants Umran Malik to play FC cricket before tests

In a recent interview with NDTV, Australian legend Glenn McGrath said that Umran Malik can be a very dangerous bowler if he can combine his pace with consistency. He said that once you set some expectations, you have to work harder to maintain them as well.

McGrath also suggested that Umran Malik should play first-class cricket before arriving in the Indian test scheme. He insisted that he has not spent much time with Umran Malik, so he don’t know the character of Umran Malik, and how he goes about his things.

“There is still time for him (Umran playing Tests). You have to get out there and do the business in first-class cricket as well,” Glenn McGrath said on NDTV.

“I have not spent any time with him, so I do not know what he is like as a character and how he goes about things.”

Glenn McGrath highlighted the fact that he was lucky enough to play 6 first-class games for New South Wales before making his test debut. He said that a fast bowler has to be fit and strong in order to bowl longer spells, and that will depend on his work ethics as well.

“I was lucky enough as I played just 6 games for New South Wales before getting a chance in a Test match,” Glenn McGrath added.

“It comes down to attitude, if you are bowling at that pace, you need to look after yourself and you need to be fit. You need to be strong so that you can bowl day in and day out, yeah a lot of it is going to depend on him, his work ethic, and how he goes about things.”

About the author

Rishikesh Sharma

Rishikesh Sharma

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An engineering graduate and an ardent sports fan, Rishikesh Sharma is covering cricket for three years now after not making peace with a corporate life and has written more than 5000 articles. While Sourav Ganguly made him fall in love with the sport, Brendon McCullum and Gautam Gambhir enhanced it. Apart from cricket, Rishikesh is a huge fan of Liverpool FC. When not watching sports, you will find him riding around Jaipur.

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