Stargazing: Five to watch in coming year

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Umran Malik

India speedster Umran Malik made heads turn in this year's Indian Premier League with his tearaway pace as he regularly clocked over 150km/h (93mph) for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He soon got a callup to the Indian side for his first T20 against Ireland. Umran's rise from being the son of a fruit vendor in the Jammu region of Indian administered Kashmir has been nothing short of a fairy-tale. Umran, 23, was mentored by former India fast bowler Irfan Pathan at the Kashmir state side and in the IPL under the tutelage of South Africa fast-bowling great Dale Steyn, Hyderabad's bowling coach. Called the "Jammu Express", Umran has played just five ODI and three T20 matches for India but with the ODI World Cup taking place in India at the back end of 2023, he is primed for greater success.