IPL 2022: Umran Malik is a 'gem' but should be managed carefully, says Daniel Vettori

Umran Malik as a "gem", New Zealand bowling great Daniel Vettori says the youngster's raw pace generates anxiety among batters and brings an "X-factor" to the game. Vettori, a former New Zealand captain and leg-spin great, said Malik was a "rare" talent emerging after the end of era of Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar and Shaun Tait. "That pace generates anxiety among batters and not just tailenders, it's all batters," Vettori told ESPNCricinfo's 'T20 Time Out' show.

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The son of a fruit vendor rattled Gujarat's big guns including skipper Hardik Pandya, Wriddhiman Saha and David Miller to earn rich praise from cricketing greats. Former Test captain Sunil Gavaskar had already predicted Umran Malik would play for India and, after the express bowler's five-wicket

"We don't often see bowlers get around 153-154 mark. That's exceptional pace, that's a rarity that we haven't seen I suppose consistently since the likes of (Brett) Lee, Shoaib Akhtar or Shaun Tait. "So to see that is a huge part of the game now. You can see the excitement factor, brings a bit of X-factor." The 22-year-old Jammu and Kashmir player's maiden five-for dismantled Gujarat Titans' batting line-up in SRH's IPL game before Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan pulled off a heist by hitting four sixes in the final over to win the match by five wickets. Vettori said the BCCI should quickly step in and manage Malik's workload to safeguard his unique talent. "This is a gem here and it's just how it's looked after in the next couple of years for Indian cricket and how to get the best out of him. "Potentially. It might be the best thing for him coming under the umbrella of the BCCI or the NCA,