By james art Hyderabad: Over the course of its cricketing history, Hyderabad has produced some notable spin bowlers. They played for India with distinction and helped the country record memorable triumphs. But fast bowlers from Hyderabad are few and far between. At the moment there is Mohammed Siraj who is doing a good job with the new ball.
But in future, is there anyone from Hyderabad who can take up the role? The answer to that question is yes, there is a young boy who has great potential and his name is Muhammad Abdul Malik. He is currently playing for the Hyderabad Under-19 team and has shown commendable skills in the BCCI Vinoo Mankad Trophy matches. How far he goes will depend entirely on his determination, hard work and intelligence.
Malik is a 12th grade student
Malik, who is a Class 12 student at Glendale Academy, is an ardent fan of fast bowler Mohammed Siraj and hopes that one day he will be as successful as Siraj. Malik started undergoing professional coaching two years ago and is now trained by Sudeep Tyagi. His mentor and guide is Adnan Bafana, who is confident that Malik will rise to the top. According to Adnan Bafana, the youngster can not only create gaps but is also a big striker who can send the ball over the line with his perfectly timed shots.
While featuring in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy earlier this month, Malik claimed 2 wickets for 37 runs against Andhra. His two scalps were those of opening batsmen Eswar Rithvik (11) and K. Haneesh Veera Reddy (10). Hyderabad won this match by a comfortable margin of 74 runs
In the next match against Himachal Pradesh, Malik took 5 wickets for 36 runs. All the Himachal Pradesh batsmen were at sea against his movement and he dismissed the first four batsmen very cheaply. At one stage Himachal lost the first six wickets for just 16 runs and eventually Hyderabad won the match by six wickets.
He is a hurricane
He continued his destruction against Chandigarh. Playing at Chandigarh’s home ground, Abdul Malik was a hurricane that the home team could not handle. He took 4 for 59 as Hyderabad won by 44 runs.
Hyderabad’s next encounter was against Goa and this time Malik took 3 for 45 from 8.3 overs. He helped Hyderabad win again, this time by 31 runs. In every match, it was Malik who created the breakthroughs and drove back the leading batsmen from the opposing teams.
Against Nagaland, Malik was in great form. He bowled 3 batsmen in 4.4 overs at the cost of 20 runs. Hyderabad’s bowling was the most destructive. Apart from Malik, Sudheev Neerukonda (3 for 23), V. Yashveer (2 for 13) and K. Kritin Reddy and Sacheit (one wicket each) ensured that Nagaland were bowled out for a paltry 93 and Hyderabad won by 10 wickets. For Hyderabad, Aaron George (51 not out) and Wafi Kachi (40 not out) batted well.
Loss by one run
However, in the next match against Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad were unlucky to lose by just one run after the VJD method was used to decide the fate of the match. And in this match, Abdul Malik showed himself bravely. He took 4 wickets for 36 runs from 6 overs. The Hyderabad boys put up a valiant effort to chase down the revised total but ultimately fell short by just one run.
So, taking the bowling performance into consideration, it is clear that there is a cyclone brewing in Hyderabad in the form of a budding young fast bowler. At this stage, no one can predict how much havoc he can wreak, but provided Malik stays motivated, takes care to stay fit and uses his brain to improve his skills, he could have a big impact in the near future.