Umar Gul is a Pakistani international cricketer who has played in all three formats of the game for his country. Umar Gul is a right-arm fast medium bowler who was born on April 14, 1984. He is considered as one of Pakistan’s most prolific bowlers.
Background
Gul used to play tape-ball cricket a lot when he was younger. His peers persuaded him to try his hand at international cricket after seeing his potential, and the rest is history.
Before being called up to the senior team, Umar Gul had only played nine first-class matches. He made appearances for Pakistan A, Peshawar, and Pakistan International Airlines but had little impact.
Debut
At the age of 19, the fast bowler made his ODI debut. Gul played against Zimbabwe on April 3, 2003, and took two wickets in his team’s 68-run victory.
Gul took just two wickets in his test debut against Bangladesh in August of the same year.
Rise to Glory
Umar Gul came to fame during the 2003-04 series against India, when he picked up a fifer and gave up just 31 runs in the Lahore test. He was praised for his ball control and ability to maintain a consistent length. For his efforts, he was named Man of the Match.
In 2006, Gul had his most competitive test series at home against the West Indies. In three tests, he took 16 wickets, including some prominent reverse swing spells. He was the one who used a dipping Yorker to smash Ramnaresh Sarwan’s toe.
In the 2007 and 2009 ICC World T20s, the pacer took the most wickets. In 2009, he gained special praise for his five-wicket haul for just six runs against New Zealand.
Club Career
In 2008, the Kolkata Knight Riders signed Gul to play in the Indian Premier League. He took 12 wickets at an average of 15.33 in six matches.
He also featured for Western Warriors in the 2008-09 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, where he picked up 12 wickets despite being unavailable for the remainder of the tournament.