I want to bowl in the right areas, my focus is not on breaking Shoaib Akhtar’s record – Umran Malik

India’s gun fast bowler Umran Malik has said he wants to bowl in the right areas and his focus is not on breaking Shoaib Akhtar’s record of the fastest ball (161.3 km/h) recorded in International cricket. Akhtar had bowled the fastest ball of the game against England’s Nick Knight.

Meanwhile, Umran Malik has impressed with his raw pace and had breathed down the neck of the opposition batters with his express pace. Malik had scalped 22 wickets in 14 matches of recently concluded Tata IPL while playing for SunRisers Hyderabad.

He bowled with an average of 20.18 and an economy rate of 9.01. After his impressive show in the IPL, Malik received his maiden call-up into the Indian team for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa.

There is no doubt that Malik tremendously improved his line and length while playing under the tutelage of bowling coach Dale Steyn. However, there is still a lot of scope for improvement for the youngster as he could veer off the track on some occasions.

Malik revealed his focus will be to improve his accuracy and if he can do that, he will be a lethal bowler as he has got extra pace under his arsenal.

Meanwhile, Malik bowled a 157 km/h delivery against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022. However, his record of fastest ball in the season was broken by Lockie Ferguson, who clocked 157.3 km/h while playing against Rajasthan Royals in the final.

“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,” Malik was quoted as saying in an interview with News 24 Sport.

Malik revealed his J&K teammate Abdul Samad motivated him to bowl faster in the IPL.

“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 with this,” he added.

The first T20I between India and South Africa will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Thursday.