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Umran Malik and Lockie Ferguson were two of the fastest bowlers in IPL 2022. Both the pacers consistently clocked speeds over 150 kmph and managed to trouble the matters with their express pace on several occasions. It was Malik who was leading the race to bag the fastest delivery of the season award until Ferguson clocked 157.3 kmph on the night of the final against Rajasthan Royals to snatch that award from Malik.

While Ferguson has a fair of international experience, having represented New Zealand in all three formats, Malik is still taking early strides in his career and has received just received his maiden India call-up after his impressive show in IPL 2022. However, when Pakistan speedster Shaheen Afridi was asked to respond on the pace of Malik and Ferguson, he had a different take suggesting that pace might not solve all problems.

"Speed can’t help you if you don’t have line and length and swing," Shaheen said.

The left-arm pacer's comment came at a press conference ahead of Pakistan's three-match ODI series against West Indies at home. The bilateral series was initially scheduled to be held in December 2021 but had to be postponed due to COVID-19.

"The weather is hot but we are looking forward to playing good cricket in it. It would be a tough challenge for the fast bowlers to bowl long spells in summer but as a professional, we are ready to face it," he said.

Shaheen also rated the Nicholas Pooran-led West Indies side as a strong team and emphasized that the Men in Green would not want to lose any match as they are crucial from the World Cup qualification's perspective.

The first of the three ODIs are scheduled on June 8 while the subsequent matches are on June 10 and June 12 respectively. All the three fixtures are set to be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan.