What's new

[VIDEO] The end of an era - An emotional Umar Gul bids farewell as he retires

M

Markhor

T20I Captain
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Runs
42,627
Post of the Week
13
Walking off the field for the last time in tears :(

Thanks so much for one of the greatest moments in my life - the 2009 T20 World Cup. In a year when Pakistan was going to hell as a country, this man helped bowl us to the first world title since 1992 and gave us all a glimmer of hope.

Farewell champ.

<iframe src="https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x7wvevk" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Was really emotional at the end today. Congrats to him for a wonderful career and giving us all those wonderful memories as a cricket fan. A thorough gentleman who never had any disciplinary or other issues.
 
<a href="https://ibb.co/Zzt4zw1"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/9HzKHf3/22b6ec30-93b8-4fe9-98a1-e9faf3811ecb.jpg" alt="22b6ec30-93b8-4fe9-98a1-e9faf3811ecb" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/wpZmP3Y"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/kqVCwkM/a8cbf535-6986-4f6f-8de5-93826ac61aaa.jpg" alt="a8cbf535-6986-4f6f-8de5-93826ac61aaa" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/CsGtPmt"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/qFQnJ7n/6b0552a3-a144-417f-b0ed-f4f3a0a9b892.jpg" alt="6b0552a3-a144-417f-b0ed-f4f3a0a9b892" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/7KWX4Y1"><img
<a href="https://ibb.co/7KWX4Y1"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/KWqXw0r/612cecf1-69ab-4557-ab3f-34ada49d4219.jpg" alt="612cecf1-69ab-4557-ab3f-34ada49d4219" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/RDXzcS4"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/G5ZcRJ3/999915d8-c4ae-4ebc-915e-8d22e2ee85ed.jpg" alt="999915d8-c4ae-4ebc-915e-8d22e2ee85ed" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/0Zdc5D9"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/gwB3YjW/c32a52bf-02f4-404c-91cc-5f0d85594e18.jpg" alt="c32a52bf-02f4-404c-91cc-5f0d85594e18" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/sqcwv5z"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/cQRFcbV/df4eef81-b09a-46ac-ba91-b0fa645ba3ee.jpg" alt="df4eef81-b09a-46ac-ba91-b0fa645ba3ee" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/zndLvs5"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/mDpYWJB/445daf83-8b0b-494b-8f67-b2018e1c7622.jpg" alt="445daf83-8b0b-494b-8f67-b2018e1c7622" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/ws15YvS"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/ZmCqNZB/412fd02e-2d9d-4dd4-9776-006f7369136e.jpg" alt="412fd02e-2d9d-4dd4-9776-006f7369136e" border="0"></a>
<a href="https://ibb.co/m0ymqrq"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/xYgyjKj/2e1467fd-820e-4348-baf3-2319d9d2c400.jpg" alt="2e1467fd-820e-4348-baf3-2319d9d2c400" border="0"></a>
 
Last edited:
Congrats to Gul.
One of the most hard working and non controversial cricketer.
 
I was thinking of Gul the other day.

The guy came onto the international scene, humbly and quietly performed; no controversies no dramas. Played, got his cheque and literally would go back to his home. Repeat.

Should be used as a ambassador for the younger gen. Thank you Gul, thank you.
 
Umar Gul speaking after the match:

“I would like to thank my teammates and the Southern Punjab players for giving me so much respect here.

“First of all, I’d like to thank PCB who have fed me like a mother throughout my career. Thank you so much, PCB.

“I’d like to thank my coaches, teammates, seniors, staff, my parents, and my wife who supported me through out.

“All of my fans in Pakistan supported me so much and prayed for me. Throughout my career, I made so many friends in Pakistan and in other countries. I would like to thank them for supporting me in my ups and downs.

“It’s difficult. It’s my passion and I don’t want to leave it, but everyone has to go someday. All our past legends had to do this also and it’s a process. I would like to wish our juniors best wishes and good luck and I hope they serve Pakistan well.

“I think Pakistan has a lot of talent. Just focus on your game and give priority to your profession. Work hard, as Muslims this is our belief that if you work hard, Allah gives you reward for it.”
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a great servant of Pakistan cricket Umar Gul was. His first class career started in November 2001 & he played 237 times for Pakistan, taking 427 wickets. He was a member of the 2009 T20 World Cup winning team & is Pakistan's joint 2nd highest wicket-taker in T20Is <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/XpuYSKSnfE">pic.twitter.com/XpuYSKSnfE</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1317164817984212992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
PCB congratulates Umar Gul on a successful career

Rawalpindi, 16 October 2020:

Pakistan Cricket Board congratulated Umar Gul on a successful career after he signed off on his 20-year professional career on Friday after Balochistan failed to qualify for the National T20 Cup semifinals.

Umar Gul, 36, burst into the circuit in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2002 in New Zealand by claiming 11 wickets at 12.72 following a poor debut 2000-21 season.

The lanky pacer played 125 first-class, 213 List-A and 167 T20 matches, in which he collected 987 wickets. In a 237-match international career from 2003 to 2016, Umar captured 427 wickets.

Umar played professional cricket in Australia, England, India and Sri Lanka, representing Western Australia, Gloucestershire, Sussex, Kolkata Knight Rider and Uva Next, respectively, while his domestic sides were HBL, Multan Sultans, North West Frontier Province (now known as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), PIA, Peshawar and Quetta Gladiators.

PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan: “Umar’s career will not only be defined by the number of matches he played and the wickets he took, but also by upholding the Spirit of Cricket every time he put on the shirt for his club, city, province and country. He is highly respected both as a person and as a cricketer.

“I have attended a couple of PCB Cricket Committee meetings with Umar and he is a thorough gentleman with an intelligent cricket head on his shoulders and a sound knowledge and understanding of the game.

“On behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board, I congratulate Umar for an outstanding career and thank him for the contribution he made towards helping to enhance the image and reputation of Pakistan cricket.

“I am sure he will continue to add immense value off the field within the game. We wish him well in his future endeavours”.

Umar Gul: “It has been an honour to represent my club, city, province and country at various levels for two decades. I have thoroughly enjoyed my cricket, which has taught me the values of hard work, respect, commitment and determination.

“During this journey, I have had the pleasure of meeting numerous people who have helped and supported me in some way. I want to thank all those people as well as my teammates and peers for their support.

“I owe a big time to the fans who supported me throughout my journey. They have been an inspiration, especially at times when the going was not great.

“Lastly, I thank my family for standing firmly behind me throughout my career and helping me to cherish my dreams of not only playing cricket but traveling across the country and globe. They have sacrificed a lot, while I too have missed their presence and company. I now look forward to spending valuable time with them but it will be difficult to stay away from cricket and I now look forward to giving back to the sport and the country that has made me one of the most fortunate and luckiest persons on the planet.”
 
Theo_14 said:
I was thinking of Gul the other day.

The guy came onto the international scene, humbly and quietly performed; no controversies no dramas. Played, got his cheque and literally would go back to his home. Repeat.

Should be used as a ambassador for the younger gen. Thank you Gul, thank you.
Click to expand...

Underrated legend in limited overs
 
Seeing Gul today at the end of the match made me teary eyed. Farewell champ! Thank you for your solid service in limited overs cricket and some great spells in tests. What a fantastic ambassador for Pakistan.
 
Last edited:
Lump in my throat seeing this.

What a brilliant ambassador he has been for Pakistan cricket over the years.
 
Great career. Hard working and 100% commitment. Thank you for the great memories.
 
Great servant of Pakistan cricket. Genuine hardworking guy with no controversies or attitude. Played a big role in our t20 WC win
 
Shame on how it ended.

An under-achiever who never lived up to his potential. One of my favorite memories was his 5-for against India in his 5th test which effectively won it for us. He was a pretty good swing and seam bowler.

In ODIs he was an underrated bowler to some extent.

A legend in T20 cricket.
 
Also just to add not only was he a wholehearted cricketer who wore his heart on his sleeve, but he was also a very humble cricketer.

A brilliant role-model for those young Pakistani cricketers who want to serve their country.
 
Still remember his debut at the 2003 Sharjah Cup after the PCB axed most of the players after that atrocious World Cup and thinking this is going to be the next Wasim/Waqar. He never quite made it even halfway there he certainly impresed in patches. Hats off to a long, illustrious career!
 
He seems a nice chap and couldn’t question his effort , always gave his best — but being one of the critics of his bowling on PakPassion from way back when he first came on the scene , in hindsight I always thought he would end up with a test bowling average in mid 30s like he did in the end. I don’t take T20 cricket as seriously as others , it’s a party game. Test cricket is real cricket for me. But yes looking back it was a shock to the system after seeing the great Pakistani fast bowling we had in the era before , to then have a pace bowler of the speed and calibre of Andy Caddick and Venkatesh Prasad who many of us would have mocked when we had Wasim / Waqar / Shoaib bowling lethal spell after spell , and now Gul was being celebrated as a potential star and many mistakenly thought he was more McGrath then Caddick if I remember then discussions going on the old PakPassion back in early 2000s era.

A test bowling average of nearly 35 is very far from McGrath.
 
Last edited:
Legendary T20 bowler. I think he is the first GOAT T20 bowler to retire for Pakistan.
 
Was injury prone throughout his career but almost always showed glimpses of what he was made of.
Was the pioneer of death bowling in t20s before malinga took the ball and ran away with it.

Led our attack through 2008 till 2012. was instrumental in our bilateral odi series victory in india and the test series against england in 2012.
Was always a rhythm bowler, was unplayable at his best.

Still remember his yorkers in 2006 series against WI that put Sarwan out of action for a few months.

His bowling in 2007 and 2009 wt20is was a sight to behold.

The injury he suffered in 2013 definitely changed his career for the worse, his pace was gone, so was his reverse swing and yorkers. Yet he still toiled in domestic cricket without any complaints.

One of the most humble and lion hearted cricketers for Pakistan.


Can see him playing role in either PCB or PSL in near future.
 
A rare event in Pakistan cricket, a cricketer who was always selected on merit, gave his 100% to the team and retired with dignity and grace. Wish him all the best in life.

He should be given coaching responsibility for under 19 fast bowlers.
 
BunnyRabbit said:
Was injury prone throughout his career but almost always showed glimpses of what he was made of.
Was the pioneer of death bowling in t20s before malinga took the ball and ran away with it.

Led our attack through 2008 till 2012. was instrumental in our bilateral odi series victory in india and the test series against england in 2012.
Was always a rhythm bowler, was unplayable at his best.

Still remember his yorkers in 2006 series against WI that put Sarwan out of action for a few months.

His bowling in 2007 and 2009 wt20is was a sight to behold.

The injury he suffered in 2013 definitely changed his career for the worse, his pace was gone, so was his reverse swing and yorkers. Yet he still toiled in domestic cricket without any complaints.

One of the most humble and lion hearted cricketers for Pakistan.


Can see him playing role in either PCB or PSL in near future.
Click to expand...

I would like an indepth examination of whether his 2013 knee injury in 2013 was handled well by the PCB medical and training staff or not
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">With a very heavy heart and after a lot of thinking, i have decided to bid farewell to all formats of cricket after this National T20 Cup. I have always played for Pakistan with all my heart and 100% of hardwork. Cricket is and will always be my love n passion 1/3</p>— Umar Gul (@mdk_gul) <a href="https://twitter.com/mdk_gul/status/1317185034680487936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">but all good things have to come to an end. Praying that the future will hold much more for me. Secondly, i would like to thank <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheRealPCB</a> and all the coaches and people who have been a part of my cricketing journey. Special thanks to media, my fans and followers 2/3</p>— Umar Gul (@mdk_gul) <a href="https://twitter.com/mdk_gul/status/1317186400589053955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">who made it all worthwhile n supported me at all times. Thank u so much 3/3 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lovecricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lovecricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PakistanZindabad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PakistanZindabad</a></p>— Umar Gul (@mdk_gul) <a href="https://twitter.com/mdk_gul/status/1317187149272436737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Althought he underachieved he was a fine noncontroversial ambassador for pakistan and in patches a match winner esp in limited overs

Good luck and all the best for the future umar!
 
Bewal Express said:
Gul is an ATG in ODI great in T20 cricket and bloody good in other formats. Thanks for the memories
Click to expand...

Talking of memories , I remember giving Gul the nickname “The Peshawar Rickshaw” on PP many years ago , which later got quoted on CricInfo in an article and one or two newspaper articles mentioned it also.
 
Lucky enough to have watched him bowl during the 2006-2012 period. He was as good as, if not clearly better than Malinga at times, at the death. One particular over he bowled to Duminy and Kallis in the WT20 2009 will always be in my memory, where he delivered inch-perfect five yorkers in a row. Unplayable at times, when in rhythm.

Wish him good luck for the future.
 
An overall LOI Pakistani great. I'm gonna miss watching this man bowl. Thanks for the memories!
 
Zaz said:
Althought he underachieved he was a fine noncontroversial ambassador for pakistan and in patches a match winner esp in limited overs

Good luck and all the best for the future umar!
Click to expand...

I don’t think he underachieved. For his overall skills package he probably overachieved and more importantly he’s one of the few Pakistani players who upped their game in world tournaments
 
Great player. Undoubtedly, one of the most hard working and non controversial cricketer. One of the better bowlers that Pakistan has produced over past two decades. ATG in T20 format.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I wish you all the best for your future endeavours <a href="https://twitter.com/mdk_gul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mdk_gul</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Guldozer?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Guldozer</a> <a href="https://t.co/I5mXpqhCW8">pic.twitter.com/I5mXpqhCW8</a></p>— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) <a href="https://twitter.com/wasimakramlive/status/1317310675916623873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Emotional scenes at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NationalT20Cup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NationalT20Cup</a> as a 20-year-career comes to a close. <br><br>Umar Gul, star of Pakistan's win in the 2009 <a href="https://twitter.com/T20WorldCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@t20worldcup</a>, retired from all cricket with 987 wickets against his name &#55356;&#57119; <a href="https://t.co/46KZ2eo1BR">pic.twitter.com/46KZ2eo1BR</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1317375264184295424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
He was so emotional last night. Almost cried along with him. Tremendously under rated and a genuine asset. Wish him the very best in life.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One of Pakistan's bowling greats. I had a great time playing with him, great exponent of reverse swing and always played for Pakistan with pride. A good friend and a wonderful human being. Go well <a href="https://twitter.com/mdk_gul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mdk_gul</a></p>— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial/status/1317377249440649216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
One of the best T20 bowlers and a gentleman cricketer. All the best and happy retirement.
 
I was at The Oval when he tore New Zealand apart during the T20 World Cup. What a performance.

Those yorkers were just magnificent.
 
Majid Khan said:
Talking of memories , I remember giving Gul the nickname “The Peshawar Rickshaw” on PP many years ago , which later got quoted on CricInfo in an article and one or two newspaper articles mentioned it also.
Click to expand...

That definitely creates memories.
 
Usman Chadda said:
Lucky enough to have watched him bowl during the 2006-2012 period. He was as good as, if not clearly better than Malinga at times, at the death. One particular over he bowled to Duminy and Kallis in the WT20 2009 will always be in my memory, where he delivered inch-perfect five yorkers in a row. Unplayable at times, when in rhythm.

Wish him good luck for the future.
Click to expand...

He was brilliant during that period.
 
Gul as a bowler was inferior to Waqar in terms of swing but better IQ than him. Poor fitness, mis-handling by PCB and Kamran Akmal prevented him to achieve more.
 
Guldozer! Thanks for your services.

You will be missed. Best of luck in the future!
 
Shafi said:
Gul as a bowler was inferior to Waqar in terms of swing but better IQ than him. Poor fitness, mis-handling by PCB and Kamran Akmal prevented him to achieve more.
Click to expand...

That’s like saying Angus Fraser and Andy Caddick had better IQ than Waqar as bowlers - they probably did and would have been better bowlers if they had the same skills and wicket taking ability as Waqar , but then I’m sure if Ajit Agarkar had the skills of Waqar he too would have been a damn good bowler regardless of iQ.

While I’m not opposed to people celebrating their heroes and making legends out of anyone , but leaving aside part timers giving 4 over spells in pyjama cricket - As far as real cricket (test cricket as they call it) is concerned Umar Gul for all his hard work and effort, his calibre as a pace bowler was exactly that as his average shows - about 35. And that’s with him having played a few games against Bangladesh too as far as I recall. Hardly the stats of a bowling great , but then perhaps T20 cricket is what greats are judged on these days, in which case Hafeez must be up there along with collagues Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi as three of the finest all rounders cricket has ever seen, surely.. who needs Sobers, Imran, Kapil, Botham :-)
 
Last edited:
One thing I like about Gul's decision to retire is that he made the decision himself, wasn't pushed and stuck by it.

Too often Pakistani cricketers have an unhappy end to their career where they are forced out and it becomes embarrassing.

Gul has done it the right way and the best way.
 
Saj said:
One thing I like about Gul's decision to retire is that he made the decision himself, wasn't pushed and stuck by it.

Too often Pakistani cricketers have an unhappy end to their career where they are forced out and it becomes embarrassing.

Gul has done it the right way and the best way.
Click to expand...

To say he made the decision himself isn't 100% accurate, I believe the PCB privately spoke to him and Imran Farhat that they would need coaches in the newly revised cricket structure especially at the city association levels, they were privately encouraged to step aside and to consider moving into coaching given their advanced years
 
The more said about Gul, the less it is. What a fantastic individual. One of Pakistan's best bowlers - a T20I ATG, probably the GOAT T20I fast bowler.

Always stayed humble, controversy free and the winner of the 2009 WC. Thankyou, Guldozer. You will be dearly missed. An absolute champion!
 
Fantastic bowler in his prime! Whole hearted cricketer . . He carried the baton of Pakistani fast bowling after legends retired and the exodus caused by corruption . . Good luck to him!
 
Saj said:
One thing I like about Gul's decision to retire is that he made the decision himself, wasn't pushed and stuck by it.

Too often Pakistani cricketers have an unhappy end to their career where they are forced out and it becomes embarrassing.

Gul has done it the right way and the best way.
Click to expand...

Lol he was 100% pushed to do it. He literally alluded to it in the final speech where he said he didn’t want to do it. He was basically told to get into mentor ship and coaching
 
Majid Khan said:
That’s like saying Angus Fraser and Andy Caddick had better IQ than Waqar as bowlers - they probably did and would have been better bowlers if they had the same skills and wicket taking ability as Waqar , but then I’m sure if Ajit Agarkar had the skills of Waqar he too would have been a damn good bowler regardless of iQ.

While I’m not opposed to people celebrating their heroes and making legends out of anyone , but leaving aside part timers giving 4 over spells in pyjama cricket - As far as real cricket (test cricket as they call it) is concerned Umar Gul for all his hard work and effort, his calibre as a pace bowler was exactly that as his average shows - about 35. And that’s with him having played a few games against Bangladesh too as far as I recall. Hardly the stats of a bowling great , but then perhaps T20 cricket is what greats are judged on these days, in which case Hafeez must be up there along with collagues Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi as three of the finest all rounders cricket has ever seen, surely.. who needs Sobers, Imran, Kapil, Botham :-)
Click to expand...
What I mean Gul with his limited talent perform better in big tournaments where Waqar was a serial choker and collapse under pressure.
 
A good career and upped his game in ICC tournaments. His bowling aside I still remember his knock in the 2012 t20 World Cup again South Africa where he scored 30 odd in quick time to give Pakistan an improbable victory .
 
Slog said:
I don’t think he underachieved. For his overall skills package he probably overachieved and more importantly he’s one of the few Pakistani players who upped their game in world tournaments
Click to expand...

He definitely underachieved

If you said to me in 2009 he would finish with less than 200 wickets in both odis and tests i wouldve said your having a laugh

He was a very promising test bowler circa mid 2000 but never quite hit the heights he was promising back then

An avge of 34 in tests and less than 200 odi wickets is definitely short of what he shouldve achieved
 
Savak said:
To say he made the decision himself isn't 100% accurate, I believe the PCB privately spoke to him and Imran Farhat that they would need coaches in the newly revised cricket structure especially at the city association levels, they were privately encouraged to step aside and to consider moving into coaching given their advanced years
Click to expand...

Nobody held a gun to his head to say that you must retire now.

He could have tried to play on if he really wanted to.

I applaud his decision to retire, the way he did it and the fact that he stuck by it and didn't hang around like a bad smell like many of our former players have.
 
Last edited:
Slog said:
Lol he was 100% pushed to do it. He literally alluded to it in the final speech where he said he didn’t want to do it. He was basically told to get into mentor ship and coaching
Click to expand...

Lol. He had actually told some people that he was going to retire after the National T20 Cup many months ago.

Lol.
 
MenInG said:
View attachment 103869
Click to expand...
Thanks , that more or less has convinced me that I will stick to my old fashioned view that T20 cricket is a joke and real cricket is test cricket — never mind Umar Gul as the greatest of all time , but can someone just confirm that I didn’t misread these rankings , so officially Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan are in the Top 10 bowlers of all time in this format ? Is this what modern day cricket has been reduced to, oh dear.
 
Majid Khan said:
Thanks , that more or less has convinced me that I will stick to my old fashioned view that T20 cricket is a joke and real cricket is test cricket — never mind Umar Gul as the greatest of all time , but can someone just confirm that I didn’t misread these rankings , so officially Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan are in the Top 10 bowlers of all time in this format ? Is this what modern day cricket has been reduced to, oh dear.
Click to expand...

Like it or not, Pakistan reigned at the top of the world for the last several years in T20 internationals. The UAE was our fortress - Imad and Shadab destroyed some of the best batting lineups in the world during that time period on the slow tracks available. The UAE bashing has inflated the rankings a little bit, but consistency is what these rankings measure at the end of the day. To that end, these two have been absolutely fantastic and deserve to be on this all-time list.

Note that Gul is the only pacer on this list. The rest are all spinners. It takes something special for a pacer to be that consistently destructive in T20’s — though you may not respect T20 cricket (and no doubt Tests are the ultimate format), Umar Gul’s performances were a sight to behold and worthy of admiration for the sheer quality.
 
Very good servant of Pakistan cricket and Pakistan . Loved his passion while playing and you can see how much it meant to him.

He was a good/okay bowler in test cricket, a very good bowler in ODI's who could turn a match aroun and the best ever T20I fast bowler.
 
Zaz said:
He definitely underachieved

If you said to me in 2009 he would finish with less than 200 wickets in both odis and tests i wouldve said your having a laugh

He was a very promising test bowler circa mid 2000 but never quite hit the heights he was promising back then

An avge of 34 in tests and less than 200 odi wickets is definitely short of what he shouldve achieved
Click to expand...

In 2009 if you thought he would be a great year bowler then that means you read him wrong. Yes ODIs perhaps you have a case.

He was never a great test bowler. The only time he looked threatening in tests was in 2004 in Lahore against India when he did his back.
 
Saj said:
Lol. He had actually told some people that he was going to retire after the National T20 Cup many months ago.

Lol.
Click to expand...

No he was nudged today retire gracefully and accept being part of the PCB coaching set up which would be great for his long term. And credit to him that he took the hint and made the right decision. Most of our players would have stubbornly kept on playing and then would have to be dropped unceremoniously a year later. So here’s the situation well and fair play. This decision was made many months ago when the mentors and teams for this season were being decided.
 
Slog said:
No he was nudged today retire gracefully and accept being part of the PCB coaching set up which would be great for his long term. And credit to him that he took the hint and made the right decision. Most of our players would have stubbornly kept on playing and then would have to be dropped unceremoniously a year later. So here’s the situation well and fair play. This decision was made many months ago when the mentors and teams for this season were being decided.
Click to expand...

He made his decision.
He stuck by his decision.
He didn't change his mind.
No whining.
No drama.
No crying for a farewell match.

Nudge or no nudge, he deserves credit for the way he has gone about this.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Umar Gul, who this weekend announced his retirement from all formats, showed why he was the world's top T20 bowler with this effort against Australia at the MCG in 2010 <a href="https://t.co/9cEyz2PVcz">pic.twitter.com/9cEyz2PVcz</a></p>— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) <a href="https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1317757814043860993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Saj said:
Nobody held a gun to his head to say that you must retire now.

He could have tried to play on if he really wanted to.

I applaud his decision to retire, the way he did it and the fact that he stuck by it and didn't hang around like a bad smell like many of our former players have.
Click to expand...

This is partially true but lets face some other facts, he hadn't been a permanent member of the Pakistan team since 2013 and the last time he was picked for Pakistan was in 2016, he had been toiling away in domestic cricket and he knew that he wasn't going to play for Pakistan again. It made perfect sense for him to transition from an active player to coaching.
 
Zaz said:
He definitely underachieved

If you said to me in 2009 he would finish with less than 200 wickets in both odis and tests i wouldve said your having a laugh

He was a very promising test bowler circa mid 2000 but never quite hit the heights he was promising back then

An avge of 34 in tests and less than 200 odi wickets is definitely short of what he shouldve achieved
Click to expand...

Gul when he first started his career in 2003 was a much better new ball bowler where he could seam the ball both ways and he could reverse swing the old ball. However his focus on death bowling in T-20 cricket hurt his test career where he never learn't to effectively use the new ball. An average of 35 in test matches is not acceptable especially if you have played a decent amount of games. He should have average in the mid 20's atleast especially given that he focused purely on his cricket and had very little off the field distractions.
 
Savak said:
This is partially true but lets face some other facts, he hadn't been a permanent member of the Pakistan team since 2013 and the last time he was picked for Pakistan was in 2016, he had been toiling away in domestic cricket and he knew that he wasn't going to play for Pakistan again. It made perfect sense for him to transition from an active player to coaching.
Click to expand...

Playing international cricket has nothing to do with his retirement.

He knew he wasn't going to play for Pakistan again.
 
Fabulous cricketer and the type of cricketer whom we all love - humble, hardworking and who does his job well without any controversy. Wish him and his family a great life!
 
Saj said:
Playing international cricket has nothing to do with his retirement.

He knew he wasn't going to play for Pakistan again.
Click to expand...

Everything to do with it. He is 36 years old, who knows how his body was feeling and whether he wanted to put up with the aches and pains involved with fast bowling. He was way past it as a bowler and he cost his team with his ineffective bowling in most of the games. Him retiring made perfect sense
 
Saj said:
He made his decision.
He stuck by his decision.
He didn't change his mind.
No whining.
No drama.
No crying for a farewell match.

Nudge or no nudge, he deserves credit for the way he has gone about this.
Click to expand...

Yea obv he does. Never argued that.
 
Savak said:
Everything to do with it. He is 36 years old, who knows how his body was feeling and whether he wanted to put up with the aches and pains involved with fast bowling. He was way past it as a bowler and he cost his team with his ineffective bowling in most of the games. Him retiring made perfect sense
Click to expand...

Most of our players despite this choose to carry on and whinge in the media

Good on him to keep quiet about his dropping from the national team and retire without dragging it out like some have done in the past
 
Very good servant for pakistani cricket Happy retirement.

His bowling in T20 vs New Zealand will always remain fresh in the mind.

All his brilliant bowling in 2nd test vs India at home in 2003 was another performance which will be remembered.
 
I don't mind remembering people for the good things they did but lets not celebrate as if he was some legend. I clearly remember how frustrated people were by his inability to step up in test cricket and be like the leader of the attack. On wickets where the South African pacers were destroying the Pakistani batting line up in 2013, Gul kept wasting the new ball and was struggling to take wickets. Even Ramiz Raja was frustrated and he literally vented "If you can't take wickets in South Africa, where can you take them?"

To much T-20 cricket ruined Gul, he became reverse swing dependent and focused mostly on firing in those yorkers for 4 overs, never learn't how to use the new ball and bowl different line's, lengths for different situations.
 
Savak said:
Everything to do with it. He is 36 years old, who knows how his body was feeling and whether he wanted to put up with the aches and pains involved with fast bowling. He was way past it as a bowler and he cost his team with his ineffective bowling in most of the games. Him retiring made perfect sense
Click to expand...

No idea what you are talking about really.

He knew his international playing days were over.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

MenInG
[VIDEO] Analysis of the Pakistani players performances so far at the T20 Blast Tournament
Replies
4
Views
2K
Saj
S
MenInG
[VIDEO] "PCB wanted me as head coach for the Afghanistan & New Zealand series": Azhar Mahmood
Replies
5
Views
2K
Saj
S
MenInG
[VIDEO] "Pace bowlers these days prefer the easy option of bowling 4 overs": Sohail Tanvir
Replies
10
Views
2K
MenInG
MenInG
MenInG
[VIDEO] "I can't get away from 1992, it's written in the heavens": David Bumble Lloyd
Replies
15
Views
4K
PakLFC
P
MenInG
[VIDEO] "It's 2022 but we are still batting in T20Is as if it's the 1990s": Junaid Khan
Replies
32
Views
5K
shaz619
shaz619
Back
Top