PCB sweats over Gul’s fitness ahead of SL tour

Pacer reportedly aggravated knee injury during Lord’s bicentenary match.

KARACHI: Concerns have been raised over Pakistan pacer Umar Gul’s fitness as he appears to have aggravated his knee injury in the MCC versus Rest of the World match at Lord’s on Saturday.

Gul went out of the field after bowling just two uncomfortable overs, during which he gave away 16 runs.

The fast-bowler had made his comeback in December 2013 after being out of the game for seven months following a knee operation to resurrect his career. He had sustained injuries during Pakistan’s tour of South Africa in March last year.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is keeping a close eye on the gravity of the situation as the squad to play against Sri Lanka is scheduled to be announced within the next two days.

“We’ve heard reports that he may have aggravated his injury, but things will be clearer once he returns to Pakistan,” one of the selection committee members told The Express Tribune.

“Gul is a match winner in every format, and his presence in the squad remains vital for Pakistan in the series against Sri Lanka.

“He is a leader who can guide the likes of Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan and others, while he has the experience of bowling in every condition around the world. We need to look whether Gul can be given a run in the Test side or not after this injury.”

The 30-year-old’s career has been marred by injuries and he hasn’t been able to enjoy a smooth run.

He has represented Pakistan in 47 Tests, with 163 wickets to his name, while in 124 one-dayers, Gul has picked up 173 scalps. He also remains one of the most lethal bowlers in T20Is with 80 wickets from 56 outings.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2014.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.