Umar Gul relives 2009 World Twenty20 memories
The veteran Pakistani fast bowler says it was an honour to bowl alongside Shoaib Akhtar
PHOTO: AFP
Right-arm fast-bowler Umar Gul has revealed that his best memory of the 2009 World Twenty20 in which Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets was the his semi-final performance against South Africa.
Pakistan came out of Group B on the second position out of the three teams and entered the last-eights where they were set against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Ireland. Pakistan went into the semis facing South Africa, whom they beat by six wickets.
“As you will recall, we did not do that well in the group matches but once we went into the super-eights, the team started to believe in themselves and we kept on improving until we got to the knock-out stages. We obviously learnt a lot from our mistakes in the earlier stages and went on to win the trophy,” said Gul.
“Personally speaking, the over that I bowled against South Africa in the semi-final where I bowled six yorkers was the most memorable one. I was in my zone and it didn’t matter which batsman was in front of me in that over, I kept on bowling near perfect yorkers.”
Gul also revealed that former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar was an excellent teammate and a very helpful human being in his opinion.
“Undoubtedly, I had a great time bowling not only with Shoaib but also with the likes of Mohammad Sami; the experience was incredible and most enjoyable. When we speak of Shoaib, it goes without saying that he was our senior bowler and was a great help for juniors as well,” explained Gul.
“The fact is that the extreme pressure exerted on the opposing batsmen by Shoaib would yield wickets for the rest of us. This was because the batsmen would try and relieve the pressure off the other bowlers and would invariably lose their wickets due to errors caused by desperation to score runs. He was an excellent teammate and a very helpful human being as well and it was an honour bowling alongside him.”
The 31-year-old, who is hoping to make a comeback into the Pakistan national side, also commented on the 2009 New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori’s statement about him reversing the bowl using illegal means.
“One can only react to such allegations when some evidence of ball tampering is presented such as a video recording or proof of that nature,” explained Gul.
“Without that, it’s just empty words. How was it that only I could reverse swing the same ball which was being used by other bowlers as well? The fact is that this is an art and not every bowler can do that. It is no secret and very disappointing that whenever Pakistan does well, allegations such as ball tampering are made.
“In my view, these are just feeble excuses. If it’s not ball tampering, then bad umpiring is used as an excuse. These things did not bother us then and we just concentrated on our own performance and the results of the tournament were there for all to see.”
Moreover, Gul was not happy with the idea of left-arm pacer Muhammad Amir’s probable inclusion in the national team.
“I think it will be unfair if Mohammad Amir comes back and takes the place of a player who has been performing well. However, I don’t think Amir can just walk in and displace a player who has done well. The selectors will not simply drop a player to make a place for Amir,” said Gul.
“It is not that easy to walk back into the national team as apart from fitness and performance, there are other factors which may delay his return to the national squad. From what I understand there are players who are not willing to share the dressing room with him.
“As for my personal opinion, I will leave it to the selectors and the PCB but I will reiterate that there are a few hurdles that Amir has to clear before he can make a comeback into the national team.”
The article originally appeared on PakPassion
Pakistan came out of Group B on the second position out of the three teams and entered the last-eights where they were set against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Ireland. Pakistan went into the semis facing South Africa, whom they beat by six wickets.
“As you will recall, we did not do that well in the group matches but once we went into the super-eights, the team started to believe in themselves and we kept on improving until we got to the knock-out stages. We obviously learnt a lot from our mistakes in the earlier stages and went on to win the trophy,” said Gul.
“Personally speaking, the over that I bowled against South Africa in the semi-final where I bowled six yorkers was the most memorable one. I was in my zone and it didn’t matter which batsman was in front of me in that over, I kept on bowling near perfect yorkers.”
Gul also revealed that former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar was an excellent teammate and a very helpful human being in his opinion.
“Undoubtedly, I had a great time bowling not only with Shoaib but also with the likes of Mohammad Sami; the experience was incredible and most enjoyable. When we speak of Shoaib, it goes without saying that he was our senior bowler and was a great help for juniors as well,” explained Gul.
“The fact is that the extreme pressure exerted on the opposing batsmen by Shoaib would yield wickets for the rest of us. This was because the batsmen would try and relieve the pressure off the other bowlers and would invariably lose their wickets due to errors caused by desperation to score runs. He was an excellent teammate and a very helpful human being as well and it was an honour bowling alongside him.”
The 31-year-old, who is hoping to make a comeback into the Pakistan national side, also commented on the 2009 New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori’s statement about him reversing the bowl using illegal means.
“One can only react to such allegations when some evidence of ball tampering is presented such as a video recording or proof of that nature,” explained Gul.
“Without that, it’s just empty words. How was it that only I could reverse swing the same ball which was being used by other bowlers as well? The fact is that this is an art and not every bowler can do that. It is no secret and very disappointing that whenever Pakistan does well, allegations such as ball tampering are made.
“In my view, these are just feeble excuses. If it’s not ball tampering, then bad umpiring is used as an excuse. These things did not bother us then and we just concentrated on our own performance and the results of the tournament were there for all to see.”
Moreover, Gul was not happy with the idea of left-arm pacer Muhammad Amir’s probable inclusion in the national team.
“I think it will be unfair if Mohammad Amir comes back and takes the place of a player who has been performing well. However, I don’t think Amir can just walk in and displace a player who has done well. The selectors will not simply drop a player to make a place for Amir,” said Gul.
“It is not that easy to walk back into the national team as apart from fitness and performance, there are other factors which may delay his return to the national squad. From what I understand there are players who are not willing to share the dressing room with him.
“As for my personal opinion, I will leave it to the selectors and the PCB but I will reiterate that there are a few hurdles that Amir has to clear before he can make a comeback into the national team.”
The article originally appeared on PakPassion