Lahore Qalandars fast bowler Zaman Khan said that he prefers to focus more on performance than pace when asked about his comparison with Umran Malik.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 5, 2023 18:03 IST
Don’t really care about pace: Zaman Khan on comparisons with Umran Malik. Courtesy: AP and Shaheen Shah Afridi Twitter
By India Today Web Desk: Pakistan fast bowler Zaman Khan reckoned that pace is ‘something natural’ and all he cares about is performing well for the team he represents. The pacer made the comments after he was asked about his comparisons with Indian fast bowler Umran Malik.
The 21-year-old is known for his round-arm action with which he generates a fair amount of pace. Zaman is a part of the Lahore Qalandars for the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to be played from Monday, February 13 to Sunday, March 19.
“If you talk about pace… I don’t really care about pace. I care about performances. It’s the performance that matters. Your pace is natural to you,” Khan was quoted as saying in a video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of paktv.tv.
In 30 T20s thus far, the Mirpur-born Khan has picked up 40 wickets at an economy rate of 8.26 with one four-wicket to show for his efforts. He also won the Emerging Cricketer of the PSL 2022 after he picked up 18 wickets.
The Qalandars are the defending champions and will play their first match against Mohammad Rizwan’s Multan Sultans at the Multan Cricket Stadium on the opening day of the tournament.
As far as Umran is concerned, he has taken rapid strides in his career ever since he was roped in as a replacement for T Natarajan in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL). Malik clocks consistently in the 150s and also holds the record of the fastest delivery by an Indian pacer in international cricket.
In 8 ODIs and 8 T20Is, Malik picked up 13 and 11 wickets respectively. After a splendid season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2021 IPL, Umran was drafted into the Indian team and he made his debut on the tour of Ireland.
