"Not bothered about the fastest bowler"- South African pacer opens up about Umran Malik

After suffering two humilating defeats, the Indian team finally ended their losing streak against South Africa in Vizag. After failing to defend the target in the first two games, the Indian bowlers bowled some tight lines and bowled Temba Bavuma and his team out, winning the match by 48 runs. 

Now the equation is that South Africa is leading the series by 2-1, with the next match to be played on Friday at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. However, the home team hasn't made any changes to the playing XI and they have gone with the same team in the first three matches, which has left a few players sitting on the bench.

With two matches left, it will be interesting to see whether some players will get the game or not. However, everyone is waiting for the debut of the pace-machine Umran Malik, who is the most exciting prospect among Indian fans.

On the other hand, the visitors also have a few bowlers who can clock at a speed of over 150 km/h. Anrich Nortje is the fastest bowler in the current squad. In a pre-match press conference on Thursday, the pacer discussed his team's plan for the fourth match and also shared his view on Umran.

He said that currently he is not bothered about who is bowling fast; it is all about contributing to the team. He also added that whenever he trains he always thinks of adding more pace, but the main aim is to win a match for the team.

Nortje said, "Umran Malik very good bowler, very fast bowler. He has shown what he can do. If he gets faster, great for him. If I get faster, great for me. I do not think we are at the stage where we are competing to bowl the fastest ball. It is about winning games and trying to contribute."

Notably, the South African pacer suffered an injury which kept him away from the game for quite a long time. He made a comeback for the Delhi Capitals in the TATA IPL 2022. He did, however, said that he is still not 100 percent fit and is working to improve on a daily basis.

He said that as compared to last year, he is not completely up to the mark but he is trying to get fit before the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. When asked about the preparation of South Africa and the bench strength, the pacer replied that everyone is in good form because of playing in the IPL or training hard at home.

Nortje also concluded that he would like to see Lungi Ngidi get the opportunity as he has not played a game for quite a long time.