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Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal appointed bowling coaches of Pakistan cricket team

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BouncerGuy

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After appointing Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz as the Director of cricket and chief selector respectively, PCB has now appointed Umer Gul as the Fast Bowling coach and Saeed Ajmal as the Spin bowling Coach for the Pakistan Team.

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Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal appointed as Bowling Coaches for the Men’s National Team

Members of the 2009 T20 World Cup and 2012 Asia Cup winning squad, and former Pakistan cricketers Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, have been appointed as the Fast Bowling and Spin Bowling Coaches, respectively, for the Pakistan Men’s Team. Their inaugural assignments in these roles include the Test series against Australia scheduled from 14 December 2023 to 7 January 2024 and the T20I series against New Zealand from 12 to 21 January 2024.

Umar Gul previously served as the bowling coach for the Pakistan Men’s Team during the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, and the subsequent series against New Zealand at home. He has also been the bowling coach for Quetta Gladiators in the last HBL PSL season and Afghanistan’s bowling coach in the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2022. He made his international debut in 2003, representing Pakistan in 47 Tests (163 wickets at 34.06), 130 ODIs (179 wickets at 29.34), and 60 T20Is (85 wickets at 16.97) between 2003 and 2016.

Former world no. 1 ODI bowler Saeed Ajmal will take charge as the Spin Bowling Coach. Saeed, who made his international debut in 2008, represented Pakistan in 35 Tests, 113 ODIs, and 64 T20Is, picking up 447 wickets across the three formats. He also served as the spin bowling coach with the HBL PSL franchise Islamabad United.

Umar Gul: "I am pleased to join as the bowling coach of Pakistan team and feel honoured to have been given the opportunity to contribute to Pakistan cricket by Chairman PCB Management Committee Mr Zaka Ashraf. Having had previous working experience with the men’s side, I will bring my coaching expertise with the aim of elevating Pakistan's bowling prowess to new heights."

Saeed Ajmal: "I am truly honoured and grateful for the opportunity provided by Chairman PCB Management Committee Mr Zaka Ashraf to serve as the spin bowling coach. I am delighted to contribute to the development of spin bowling talent within the Pakistan national team. I believe my career and coaching experience will help enhance the spin bowling arsenal of the team."

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Think Saeed Ajmal in a PCB role overseas may bring in unwelcome attention but lets see what he can do fix Pak spinners.

Having said that, Hafeez himself was banned for his action so...
 
So no Shoaib Akhtar as coach?

I guess Pakistan is only focusing on T20 bowling. Demise of Pakistan cricket is approaching.
 
shah_1 said:
What will Ajmal teach exactly? How to chuck the ball by 40 to 45 degrees?​
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Saying that he would promote illegal actions in his coaching is not an accurate representation of what his role would involve. It’s essential to differentiate between the contentious aspects of a player’s career and the valuable insights they can offer as a coach. He was indeed reported for a suspect bowling action during his career but it does not mean he is good for nothing.​
 
Zaka is hiring all those 2011-2015 regulars . Misbah , hafeez , wahab . Ajmal, tanvir , Gul. Team was at its worst during this era in white ball . Hope they can deliver . I’m concerned however with hafeez as batting coach.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Saying that he would promote illegal actions in his coaching is not an accurate representation of what his role would involve. It’s essential to differentiate between the contentious aspects of a player’s career and the valuable insights they can offer as a coach. He was indeed reported for a suspect bowling action during his career but it does not mean he is good for nothing.​
Click to expand...
Saeed Ajmal played a victim card, never accepted his failure of chucking the ball instead he blamed ICC for his ban. Hafeez was banned, corrected his action serval times, never moaned or blamed anyone.

I wish him all the best, but he has been coach of Islamabad united, I didn't see any improvement in Shadab as a spinner.
 
shah_1 said:
Saeed Ajmal played a victim card, never accepted his failure of chucking the ball instead he blamed ICC for his ban. Hafeez was banned, corrected his action serval times, never moaned or blamed anyone.

I wish him all the best, but he has been coach of Islamabad united, I didn't see any improvement in Shadab as a spinner.​
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We can also stay positive and say that Ajmal’s coaching stint with Islamabad United could have provided him with valuable experience and learning opportunities, which he can apply in his current role. So, while it’s fair to have concerns based on past experiences, it might also be worth giving Ajmal the benefit of the doubt as he embarks on this new coaching assignment.​
 
shah_1 said:
Saeed Ajmal played a victim card, never accepted his failure of chucking the ball instead he blamed ICC for his ban. Hafeez was banned, corrected his action serval times, never moaned or blamed anyone.

I wish him all the best, but he has been coach of Islamabad united, I didn't see any improvement in Shadab as a spinner.
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Pretty sure Hafeez moaned. But it was different. Hafeez always had batting to fall back on, and was only a few degrees over.

Ajmal was effectively done as soon as the ban hit, he'd have to become a completely different bowler. He was well over the limit. Spin bowling takes a while to master, him with a new action was never going to be very effective. Offspin in particular is hard with that limit, a lot of offspinners had their careers pretty much finished.

You have to feel sorry for him. ICC allowed him to play for many years with his action deemed legal. Had they enforced this rule early on in his career when he was young, e.g. 20 years old, he could have redeveloped his action and had a good career. But he was too old when it happened. It must have been devastating for him.

It's really ICC's fault. They should have been more stringent with actions in the past. Ajmal was never actually cheating when his action wasn't called, it's up to the ICC to enforce the rules, you do what it is in your power to win. Ajmal probably thought his action was legal if it wasn't called. It's sad Ajmal had his whole career and reputation destroyed, because ICC happened to decide to enforce it then and there.
 
Best decision so far.

Umar Gul was impressive as a bowling coach. Whichever team he was with.

Saeed Ajmal is an interesting choice. Lets see how he goes.
 
Wahab, Hafeez, Ajmal and Gul.
Just need Afridi and Akhtar in and that was our full bowling attack.
 
Coach at IU, not a single spinner developed or player for IU when he was coach. Only shadab kept getting chances and Shadab never gave Zafar Gohar or Mubasir a chance. He even removed Abrar Ahmad from the side aswell.

This guy is a toothless coach and only gets job in PCB cause of Misbah
 
Asif321 said:
Zaka is hiring all those 2011-2015 regulars . Misbah , hafeez , wahab . Ajmal, tanvir , Gul. Team was at its worst during this era in white ball . Hope they can deliver . I’m concerned however with hafeez as batting coach.
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Exactly , with the output from Wahab in the squad selection something is obvious is that these recently retired bunch , all of them wish to get a shot at the roles like selector , coach and director but when it comes to actual work shows their lack of knowledge and experience

Expect nothing from the Professor and the entire coaching unit. Hafeez as batting coach who was once a Steynn bunny and someone who can’t score a 50 in Aus will be the batting coach lol sth to roflmao
 
Saeed Ajmal was the beast spin bowler of his time. I remember how our bowling was totally dependent on him and how the English and Australians were afraid of him. I am very happy about his appointment as a spin coach. I hope we will see such quality of spin again in his tenure.
 
FearlessRoar said:
Saeed Ajmal was the beast spin bowler of his time. I remember how our bowling was totally dependent on him and how the English and Australians were afraid of him. I am very happy about his appointment as a spin coach. I hope we will see such quality of spin again in his tenure.
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Agree. He was a threatening bowler then. Oppositions were often in trouble due to Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman.
 
Its an absolute joke that the javelin thrower Ajmal has been selected as the spin bowling coach. It spits on the face of bowlers who are trying to play cricket with a legal action. Absolute disgrace. Not surprised to see the lose coat clown Zaka Ashraf’s another masterstroke. What a disaster his reign has been so far.

The javelin thrower was also the spin bowling coach for Islamabad United and had zero positive effect if someone is trying to push the hope that somehow the chucker has some actual spinning talent.
 
FearlessRoar said:
Saeed Ajmal was the beast spin bowler of his time. I remember how our bowling was totally dependent on him and how the English and Australians were afraid of him. I am very happy about his appointment as a spin coach. I hope we will see such quality of spin again in his tenure.
Click to expand...

sweep_shot said:
Agree. He was a threatening bowler then. Oppositions were often in trouble due to Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman.
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I think you are using the wrong term of “bowler” for Saeed Ajmal. Maybe pick between thrower, chucker, or the desi term watta bowler.
 
Saeed has always said that he likes players to prioritise first-class cricket and I hope he continues with that.

The likes of Shadab Khan need to be told that they have to play first-class cricket.
 
gazza619 said:
In my book he is a legend who got hard done by ICC.
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He was a cheat, who not only used to chuck his way through his international career but he also used to wear long sleeves to disguise his act. This was also picked up by Shane Warne in commentary who once made a subtle dig by referring to his choice of sleeves. Everyone knew what he was doing.

On this occasion it sounds like to me, you've had one too many kebab rolls from Alum Rock.
 
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Slim said:
Seriously? Im shocked to see such comments. No wonder the country is in such shambles. We are okay with fixers, throwers and its always a conspiracy theory against us.
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Well said Slim bhai.

One of the main reason why Pakistan cricket is in a shambles because our bowling legacy is defined by age fudgers, serial ball tampering and chuckers.

We then wonder:
  1. Why Pakistan are struggling to produce a half decent finger spinner, let alone a world class one.
  2. Why all the test pacers who debuted after the 80s have failed achieve 200 test wickets, which isn't even a major achievement
 
Please don't get me wrong as I don't have much against Saeed Ajmal or Hafeez, but both of them had a shady career and were proven chuckers. Pakistan cricket should try and do away with such characters.

Besides, the problem is that our players will never respect him and will always think that Saeed was a chucker and a flop bowler after he corrected his bowling action.
 
It wouldn't surprise me if Misbah was behind the appointment of Saeed Ajmal. They were close friends.

I used to laugh reading posters come out with "Misbah isn't a Coach/Selector. He should be an administrator/director bla bla bla". The truth of the matter is he shouldn't be anywhere near the PCB nor should he allowed to coach kids let alone professional cricketers in Pakistan.
 
Umar Gul seems to be a better option than Morne Morkel and expecting him to do good with the national team, not sure how Saeed Ajmal would do.
 
These guys will make no difference, just like the guys before them made absolutely no difference. Bowlers improve when they have the intelligence to realise what their weakness is and then work hard rectifying it.
 
Major said:
Coach at IU, not a single spinner developed or player for IU when he was coach. Only shadab kept getting chances and Shadab never gave Zafar Gohar or Mubasir a chance. He even removed Abrar Ahmad from the side aswell.

This guy is a toothless coach and only gets job in PCB cause of Misbah
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Was he head coach ?
 
These roles are thier as mentors they don't actually coach or learn a different skill.
 
This is insane , I'm happy with Gul's appointment but how come a chucker who could not coach himself not to chuck can be a coach for the national dream . Its funny and embarrassing.
 
topspin said:
Well said Slim bhai.

One of the main reason why Pakistan cricket is in a shambles because our bowling legacy is defined by age fudgers, serial ball tampering and chuckers.

We then wonder:
  1. Why Pakistan are struggling to produce a half decent finger spinner, let alone a world class one.
  2. Why all the test pacers who debuted after the 80s have failed achieve 200 test wickets, which isn't even a major achievement
Click to expand...
Well pointed out bro. I remember around 20 spinners in pakistan domestic circuit were reported/wipped out after ICC took action against Ajmal. Absolutely wild!
 
Looks like somebody is not happy with the appointment of Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal.

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Javed Miandad about Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal’s Appointment as a bowling coach:

"There should be a significant age difference between coaches and players. If there is no age gap, players will not respect the coach,"​
 
They should work at the grassroots level, not with the national team. Instead, they should focus on polishing and nurturing young players so that they can maximize their potential when they reach the highest level.

Only proficient tacticians and analysts should be appointed as coaches for the national team. There is no need for skill development at the national level.
 
We have sort of tried Saqlain (i know he was head coach) and that didn’t help much so what are our local options? Ideally a Murali or Swann could yield success but don’t know if they are available or what that appointing them will cost.
 
Pakistan's new management in action

Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal were both seen today putting in all efforts for the boys.

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IMG-20231123-WA0036.jpg
 
Surprized to see saeed ajmal in the coaching role of a national team because being a good bowler doesn't necessarily mean that he can also be a good coach.
 
Cricket Warrior said:
Surprized to see saeed ajmal in the coaching role of a national team because being a good bowler doesn't necessarily mean that he can also be a good coach.
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If he was a good bowler then it would make some sense, but he was good at something else.
 
Might as well make M Asif a coach so he can pass down his ball wobbling skills. That can be his redemption.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Looks like somebody is not happy with the appointment of Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal.

-------------------------------------

Javed Miandad about Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal’s Appointment as a bowling coach:

"There should be a significant age difference between coaches and players. If there is no age gap, players will not respect the coach,"​
Click to expand...
Typical brain dead Pakistani pundit take. The Boston Celtics are dominating the NBA right now (tbf, they have a stacked roster) with a coach that's like 5 years younger than LeBron James.
 
Umar Gul has been the coach before as well so there is nothing wrong with him having another go, he did well. Saeed Ajmal is however still new at internationals, he coached for Islamabad United where his team was not doing good. But that should be the sole reason for him to be criticized as he can give a lot to these spinners.
 
It looks like Gul has a bit more work to do. Pace bowlers looking a bit toothless and conceding too many no-balls.
 
Gul had an interview during the 3rd T20 match against NZ. He said:

- He wants Rauf to bowl more bouncers
- Praised Zaman's variations, especially his slower ball
- Says he wants his bowlers to hit the 4-6M length

Honesly, very basic stuff, makes me question how insightful he is as a bowling coach tbh.

tLS4lFs.png
 
Pakistani coaches in general usually leave the team worse off than when they take charge.
 
Chip32 said:
Typical brain dead Pakistani pundit take. The Boston Celtics are dominating the NBA right now (tbf, they have a stacked roster) with a coach that's like 5 years younger than LeBron James.
Click to expand...
Give batting coach position to Miandad. He will teach our batsmen how to hit sixes while sitting on chair, sip on chai and watching Bollywood C grade movies Movies
 
Problem is capable coaches like Asif, Butt can't get job due to their past mistakes.
 
I was looking at the ODI world cup stats. The 99 WC is when our bowling peaked. After that we didn't make the top 10 for the next 2 world cups.

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So we did nothing in the 90s to produce more talent so had nobody lined up when they aged and retired in the 2000s. Classic PCB.

To say our bowling is truly back to being world class then we need this to happen in a WC.
 
i dont think Saeed Ajmal can bring any change to pur spinners, indeed saeed ajmal was a very talented bowler but coaching is something which is out of his reach.
 
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