"Might Just Need That Extra Bit Of Pace": Former England Pacer Backs Umran Malik To Play For India In T20 World Cup

Former England pacer Darren Gough has backed young fast bowler Umrah Malik to make India's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Umran turned heads with his sheer pace in the 2022 IPL, clocking over 150 kmph on a regular basis. As a result, he was included in India's T20I squad for the recently-concluded series against Ireland and England. However, Umran conceded 112 runs in the three games he played. Gough still feels that since the T20 World Cup will be held in Australia, India can really benefit from the pace at which Umran bowls.

"Bumrah, I think he is the best all-format fast bowler in the world. He is your first pick, the golden pick. Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes in because of his skill with the new ball. He is really important to take early wickets, slows the momentum down. We have seen that throughout the England vs India series. So, I think he has to be on there," Gough said in video uploaded on Cricket.com YouTube channel.

Gough also said while he would consider Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, Umran should be an automatic pick for him for the World Cup, considering the pace he generates.

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"(Mohammed) Siraj has got good pace. I have been impressed with him when I saw him bowl in Australia and when I saw him in India. Then you've got Umran Malik. Anybody who bowls that speed gets into my squad. On the pitches in Australia, you might just need that extra bit of pace to shock the opposition," he added.

"But India have got so many options, Shami is another player with so much skills with the new ball. Then there is Prasidh Krishna. There is plenty of options but I would have Umran Malik, Siraj, Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah," he added.