Umar Gul not made for Test Cricket! [Merged]

[Rizwan25]

i think this guy is great to watch in t20 and odis but has no talent when it comes to test cricket. I would replace him with Rauf or Tanvir(if he is selected) for the rest of the series. :inti

[insaaniyat]

Who would replace him then

[Rizwan25]

Who would replace him then
There are plenty of bolwers who can replace him. he is not Wasim or waqar that his replacement is impossible to find.

Talha for Aussies series.

[tauseefm]

i think this guy is great to watch in t20 and odis but has no talent when it comes to test cricket. I would replace him with Rauf or Tanvir(if he is selected) for the rest of the series. :inti

You must be kidding right? He has been going through the bad patch and luck isn't on his side either. he has been bowling pretty good in this match. You want to replace him with a player who doesn't even deserve to be in any form of cricket u just named.

Btw you want rauf in just based on his 4 wickets against some club cricket players? I think we are a bowler short and our 3 main bowlers are tired after doing the donkey work in the first inning

[tauseefm]

There are plenty of bolwers who can replace him. he is not Wasim or waqar that his replacement is impossible to find.

Talha for Aussies series.

Seems like u need to smoke some real stuff, fake stuff is giving u hallucination

[insaaniyat]

Gul is a very good bowler. Right now he needs to stay in test team

[Rizwan25]

You must be kidding right? He has been going through the bad patch and luck isn't on his side either. he has been bowling pretty good in this match. You want to replace him with a player who doesn't even deserve to be in any form of cricket u just named.

Btw you want rauf in just based on his 4 wickets against some club cricket players? I think we are a bowler short and our 3 main bowlers are tired after doing the donkey work in the first inning
Tanvir is a good swing bowler and thats wht our team lacks right now. we dont need someone to bowl fast and straight and rely on batsmen to make the mistake.

[Rizwan25]

Gul is a very good bowler. Right now he needs to stay in test team
i didnt say he is not a good bolwer but test cricket is not his thing.

[insaaniyat]

Tanveer is not a test bowler. He is good for T20 only

[insaaniyat]

i didnt say he is not a good bolwer but test cricket is not his thing.
I say he is good test bowler too

[tauseefm]

Tanvir is a good swing bowler and thats wht our team lacks right now. we dont need someone to bowl fast and straight and rely on batsmen to make the mistake.

You are wrong, its only our batsman who are afraid of swing bowling. well we can't even play straight balls. Tanveer shouldn't even play ODI's and u r talking about brining him in Tests.

[Zaid23]

u have gone mad......Gul bowled really well and with good speed....he wasnt lucky in the first innign when two ctaches of his bowlign was dropped....and today also he created some chances....with ball not carrying to malik in slips.....just luck is not with him ryt now ..or shud i say lack of cooperation from fielders....

[Zaid23]

u cant have abdur rauf and asif in same team...both are very similar kind of bowler....u need some one who hits the deck hard and tht is umar gul

[161]

Talha should have been in the squad seeing how Aamer's pace has been rattling them.

[Poison]

He's actually bowling pretty decently post-lunch.

[Wazmiester]

I might get chewed here for making such a statment but i have always had this feeling about him that he is slightly above average. Here are the reasons why i think in such a way about him. First lets talk about why he seems good to a lot of people.

1). His stock delivery is the great yorker.
2). Bowls decent reverse swing
2). Physically fit and works hard on his fitness
3). Seems very comitted and gives his 100%
4). Keeps his distance from controvercies.

Here is list of things that i believe makes him an average bowler hence over-rated.

1). Lacks variation. You can't rely on one delivery as your strenght at this level.
2). Inability to swing the new ball and have good control when opening the bowling. In order to be a world class fast bolwer you have to bowl up front with new bowl and take wickets.
3). not very economical. Typically leaks runs in one day and test matches.
4). Attempts to bowl short most of the time with not enough pace. Becomes very predictable.
5). Talks trash when getting hit and looses his concentration.


Let the debate begin... :)

[Imr4n_Khan]

Gul in test- sucks big time
Gul in odi- ordinary
Gul in t20-great

[coy0607]

rauf bowled really well in the warm up game too, and i would probably go with rauf over tanvir (in tests) ......ideally thou, i would want a young express pace bowler behind asif and aamer in test cricket

[Rizwan25]

he is not getting wickets becuz he is not using his brain like asif, amir and Bond.

[hur rizvi]

Agreed

[Inswinger]

Gul is our 3rd seamer. Not many teams have a better one.

[J-Essence]

Gul has never been the talented.....he relies on hard work......he will keep coming back at you. i can assure you that there are not many others that can come and take away Gul's spot.

[J-Essence]

do you want him to be ripping through opponents batting lineup?

[Inswinger]

You lost me when you put out Tanvir's name as a replacement. Gul is not our front line bowlers in Tests. He's a 3rd seamer. How many teams have a better one? He's not great but he is very good.

[Poison]

He's bowled well post lunch.

[Rizwan25]

He bowls either yorker lenght or a bouncer. I think you need more then that in a test match to take wickets. I m not saying he is a bad bowler but he is not test quality. We got so much talent that needs to be tried instead of just relying on one or two bolwer to win is games.

[Gollum]

He should dump his short stuff and rely on targeting the stumps. He bowls a heavy ball and have a good chance of sneaking one through the gates if he keeps targeting the stumps. Our flat wickets at home ensures our bowlers never have enough practice to master the art of short pitch bowling.

[161]

So is MoYo .. I guess that is why he is bowling Ajmal when the ball is reversing like crazy.

[master_blaster]

Gul is an amazing talent you are all fools

[Genghis]

Gul, Asif and Aamer are Pakistans best bowlers for test, ODI and T20s.

[legslip]

Gul is out of form at the moment. I must say that some of you have very short memories as in the past, he has bowled some tremendous spells for Pakistan on a consistent basis. Bowling well as a fast bowler is all about bowling with rhythm and to a lessor extent, confidence and he is blatently lacking these attributes at the moment.

As far as making comparisions with our former greats is concerned, It is quite obvious that they were more talented than Gul, nontheless Gul is extremely hard working and would do well to end his career with an average of under 30, which is perfectly fine in this day and age. Some of you need to realize that not every bowler has to be a Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib or Asif averaging under 22/23 per wicket to be succesful and contribute to the team's cause.

I believe once he starts bowling with good rhythm once again, he will be the perfect foil for the more unique and mysterious, Asif and Amir and would forge a great bowling combination in years to come.

[Wazmiester]

Legslip - Fair point and i do understand your argument. One thing i don't like about his bowling is that he doesn't bowl within himself. I mean why try to bowl short when you know its not your trait. I feel he looses the plot at times and doesn't stick with his strengths.

[tauseefm]

Gul is an amazing talent you are all fools
:14: :14: :14:

[legslip]

Legslip - Fair point and i do understand your argument. One thing i don't like about his bowling is that he doesn't bowl within himself. I mean why try to bowl short when you know its not your trait. I feel he looses the plot at times and doesn't stick with his strengths.

Thats probably to do with his lack of rhythm at the moment and subsequently trying variations which he has not perfected yet.

[mmkextreme_1]

Gul is not in form right now..but still has the ability to bowl that "unplayable" type of delivery..I think he will bounce back..give him time..he has 86 wickets in 22 tests..that is pretty good if you ask me..the guy is hardworking and will be bowling in the nets and asking Wicky bhai for advice..I have no doubt the "Gulster" will be back in full flow/rhythm..he knows that he is not in good form and he is trying..also luck is not on his side..the amount of edges and catches dropped of his bowling are unbelievable..

[Savak]

Gul should have been dropped a while ago. We cant keep playing with the hope of him finally hitting some form. His speeds in some spells were aweful i.e 126-129 km/hr. We need someone else with some pace as well. Plus everyone know's Gul's old ball specialities and come better prepared now.

If Pak go with Asif, Gul, Aamir to Australia, Gul will be a liability and will release the pressure created by others.

[Xoib]

Poor thread.The donkey work that Gul did on aflat track when Aamir and Asif were tiring in the first innings is being underaprreciated here.

[Wiji]

So we finally get an AAG attack, and no one's noticed?

[Wiji]

5). Talks trash when getting hit and looses his concentration.

I have never seen that happen. Can you give an example please?

Today Ross Taylor hit him for a six, and he responded with an honest smile because it came out of nowhere.

The next ball was a well-directed yorker, but he was unlucky that it was a no-ball.

[muhammad saad]

Gul should be rested and that doesnt mean drop as we cannt lose our only consistent bowler just because he is out of form.

[HuZi]

THe best replacement for ihm is Wahab Riaz. And that kid should get hid chance is al these formats one bad match vs india shouldn't be his end!

[sultanator]

I think Gul has to stay, we need Kaneria. I don't want to replace him with Ajmal though.

Fawad
Manzoor
Umar
Yousuf
Misbah
Kami
Aamer
Asif
Ajmal
Gul
Kaneria
________
BRUNETTE FINGERING (http://www.****tube.com/categories/421/fingering/videos/1)

[amarmak]

He is not finished at all just needs to add variations to his bowling.

His recent success made teams study him carefully and the fact that all 3 types of deliveries he bowls are with some modifications to his initial action making it easy to pick.

He needs to develop a good bouncer... so he gets them playing at the back foot making his yorker more potent.
Has to learn how to bowl with the new ball.

I'm sure he'll make a comeback.

[The_Cricket_Devil]

I think Gul has to stay, we need Kaneria. I don't want to replace him with Ajmal though.

Fawad
Manzoor
Umar
Yousuf
Misbah
Kami
Aamer
Asif
Ajmal
Gul
Kaneria

That is far too long a tail for a batting lineup as frail as Pakistan. We can't afford 2 spinners and will need to replace one with Shoaib Malik. As much as I do not like the suggestion he is the best we have after YK on the bench

[*sallu*]

In spinning conditions our bowling attack would be lethal.

Aamer, Asif, Ajmal and Kaneria

However, the 3rd seamer is a bit of a problem, I would prefer Arafat. He bowls in late 130s and gets some nice outswing going if conditions favour him. Ofcourse, getting the extra batter with our poor lineup won't be such a bad thing either

[tauseefm]

Gul should have been dropped a while ago. We cant keep playing with the hope of him finally hitting some form. His speeds in some spells were aweful i.e 126-129 km/hr. We need someone else with some pace as well. Plus everyone know's Gul's old ball specialities and come better prepared now.

If Pak go with Asif, Gul, Aamir to Australia, Gul will be a liability and will release the pressure created by others.

Bro, i have been watching the test match and he has been bowling in high 130's and low 140's. i don't know what u r talking about? Its beyond my understanding what is ur expectation level? he bowled 36 overs in the first inning and got 2 wickets(not bad at all) and got one wicket so far. Asif and Amir is doing a great job so we need somebody to just support them which gul has been doing perfectly. Btw don't forget Gul got McCullum and Vettori in the first inning who were thrashing asif and amir (again in the first inning)

If that was Show-eb Actor's performance u wouldn't get tired of prising him. Amir/Asif/Gul makes the best bowling attack whether u accept it or not. i would also criticise Moyo's performance as a kuptaan. he didn't give mush rest to our fast bowlers(Amir/asif/gul) and over used them in both innings. I am scared we might not see all 3 of them in Aus if Moyo used the same old school stratergy.

[IMMY69]

Gul has all the attributes to be a worldclass test match bowler...

He bowls a heavy ball, he gets bounce, when onsong he can seam and swing the ball.

i think Gul will start doing better now that the pressure is coming off his shoulders. With Asif back in the side and Amir showing maturity and abolity beyon his years I think this could be just the right kick that Gul needs to get back to top form.

He now has what was lacking in the past year or so, i.e serious competition in the team! He'll have to perform or accept being third or fourth place in the pecking order. Hopefully, Gul will rise to the challenge..He has shown his strength in the past to lead the attack, to come back from career threatening injuries and all this shows true character. Allied with a visible talent and ability that is there for all to see, I for one back him to come good!!!!

[Desi]

Bro, i have been watching the test match and he has been bowling in high 130's and low 140's. i don't know what u r talking about? Its beyond my understanding what is ur expectation level? he bowled 36 overs in the first inning and got 2 wickets(not bad at all) and got one wicket so far. Asif and Amir is doing a great job so we need somebody to just support them which gul has been doing perfectly. Btw don't forget Gul got McCullum and Vettori in the first inning who were thrashing asif and amir (again in the first inning)

If that was Show-eb Actor's performance u wouldn't get tired of prising him. Amir/Asif/Gul makes the best bowling attack whether u accept it or not. i would also criticise Moyo's performance as a kuptaan. he didn't give mush rest to our fast bowlers(Amir/asif/gul) and over used them in both innings. I am scared we might not see all 3 of them in Aus if Moyo used the same old school stratergy.
who wants to bet against me that one of them will have an injury issue/scare before this test series is over

[Ali888]

Gul lacks class and his form is rubbish. Simples.

[AZ]

21 Tests, 83 Wickets. Simples.

[90MPH]

He is off colour at the moment, it can happen in sport you know.
He needs to pitch the ball up a bit more without having this fear he seems to have of getting driven.

[Sheikh]

Gul is out of form at the moment. I must say that some of you have very short memories as in the past, he has bowled some tremendous spells for Pakistan on a consistent basis. Bowling well as a fast bowler is all about bowling with rhythm and to a lessor extent, confidence and he is blatently lacking these attributes at the moment.

As far as making comparisions with our former greats is concerned, It is quite obvious that they were more talented than Gul, nontheless Gul is extremely hard working and would do well to end his career with an average of under 30, which is perfectly fine in this day and age. Some of you need to realize that not every bowler has to be a Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib or Asif averaging under 22/23 per wicket to be succesful and contribute to the team's cause.

I believe once he starts bowling with good rhythm once again, he will be the perfect foil for the more unique and mysterious, Asif and Amir and would forge a great bowling combination in years to come.
Great post.

[Ali888]

21 Tests, 83 Wickets. Simples.

0 wickets against Australia.
15 wickets against Bangladesh.

And still can only manage a pathetic career average of 33 and strike rate 55.

Take Bangladesh out of the reckoning and his average approaches a Mohammad Sami like 40 !

[tauseefm]

0 wickets against Australia.
15 wickets against Bangladesh.

And still can only manage a pathetic career average of 33 and strike rate 55.

Take Bangladesh out of the reckoning and his average approaches a Mohammad Sami like 40 !

What a pathatic + idiot poster u are. i think u forgot to mentioned he hasn't played a test against Australia yet.

[90MPH]

0 wickets against Australia.
15 wickets against Bangladesh.

And still can only manage a pathetic career average of 33 and strike rate 55.

Take Bangladesh out of the reckoning and his average approaches a Mohammad Sami like 40 !


How many matches has he played against Australia ??

[*sallu*]

Gul is out of form at the moment. I must say that some of you have very short memories as in the past, he has bowled some tremendous spells for Pakistan on a consistent basis. Bowling well as a fast bowler is all about bowling with rhythm and to a lessor extent, confidence and he is blatently lacking these attributes at the moment.

As far as making comparisions with our former greats is concerned, It is quite obvious that they were more talented than Gul, nontheless Gul is extremely hard working and would do well to end his career with an average of under 30, which is perfectly fine in this day and age. Some of you need to realize that not every bowler has to be a Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib or Asif averaging under 22/23 per wicket to be succesful and contribute to the team's cause.

I believe once he starts bowling with good rhythm once again, he will be the perfect foil for the more unique and mysterious, Asif and Amir and would forge a great bowling combination in years to come.

You're quite right. Hes a very fine bowler.

But his problem is not ability related. It is not that all off a sudden he has lost it.
IMO his problem is fatigue. He has been playing non stop for quite a while now. He is already a very injury prone bowler and I won't be surprised if hes nursing minor niggles.

That is the reason why Gul should not be in the team at the moment.
He should have been rested from NewZealand. Given instructions to stay away from all forms of cricket for a while and start again before Aus tour.

Believe me, I play cricket, a break does wonders to you, and I aint a fast bowler putting strain on my body by delivering at 140 kph.

[shane]

Pakistan has 4 or 5 very exciting young players. There are also a number of has-beens (Yousuf, Malik, Misbah) and wannabes (Farhat, Butt?). Gul is certainly within the latter category. Test cricket is not for him - if he cannot succeed on NZ wickets then he cannot succeed.

[Zaz]

hes suffered from not playing test cricket over last 2-3 years, he bowled well in spells

I see a big improvement from him in the coming months

[azfar wali]

Took 3 wickets in this innings so he hasn't been that bad

[AZ]

You're quite right. Hes a very fine bowler.

But his problem is not ability related. It is not that all off a sudden he has lost it.
IMO his problem is fatigue. He has been playing non stop for quite a while now. He is already a very injury prone bowler and I won't be surprised if hes nursing minor niggles.

That is the reason why Gul should not be in the team at the moment.
He should have been rested from NewZealand. Given instructions to stay away from all forms of cricket for a while and start again before Aus tour.

Believe me, I play cricket, a break does wonders to you, and I aint a fast bowler putting strain on my body by delivering at 140 kph.

Pakistan team did not play for one whole month after the CT...what more rest does Gul need? a whole year?

[AZ]

What a pathatic + idiot poster u are. i think u forgot to mentioned he hasn't played a test against Australia yet.

:)) well spotted, mate.

[Ayyub]

Umar Gul is good bowler but he need guidness from waqar younis not from aaquib javed ...gul is not a line and length bowler he is wicket taking bowler .

[AZ]

I will say it now, in writing:

Umar Gul will be our star bowler in the Test series against Australia.

[Ayyub]

I will say it now, in writing:

Umar Gul will be our star bowler in the Test series against Australia.

Dont care if u get injured but bowl how much speedy u can :D

[mindless slogging]

I remember Umar Gul bowling fantastic line and length bowling over after over after over, with some really unexpected and sharp bouncers inbetween.

Unfortunately now he bowls way too full. And he suddenly only wants to bowl straight.

I think he needs coaching tbh, and there is one legend who is available. :younis

[sohaib17]

Talent wise i think he is one of the best bowlers in Pak in Test but he does not use his brain n he is not a smart bowler like Asif or even 17 yr old Ammer they set up a batsmen and know their weakness

like asif to vittori both time he swung it on good lenght where as gul would prolly bowl a bouncer n let him get his eye in

[Vegitto1]

I might get chewed here for making such a statment but i have always had this feeling about him that he is slightly above average. Here are the reasons why i think in such a way about him. First lets talk about why he seems good to a lot of people.

1). His stock delivery is the great yorker.
2). Bowls decent reverse swing
2). Physically fit and works hard on his fitness
3). Seems very comitted and gives his 100%
4). Keeps his distance from controvercies.

Here is list of things that i believe makes him an average bowler hence over-rated.

1). Lacks variation. You can't rely on one delivery as your strenght at this level.
2). Inability to swing the new ball and have good control when opening the bowling. In order to be a world class fast bolwer you have to bowl up front with new bowl and take wickets.
3). not very economical. Typically leaks runs in one day and test matches.
4). Attempts to bowl short most of the time with not enough pace. Becomes very predictable.
5). Talks trash when getting hit and looses his concentration.


Let the debate begin... :)

1. He does not lack variation. He has a good bouncer and takes the ball away from right-handers.

2. Since when did we need 3 opening bowlers in cricket? has there been a change in the rules? If not, then Asif and Aamer open the bowling with Gul coming on first change So his inability to bowl with the new ball is irrelevant as long as he is good with the old ball/semi old ball.

3. He has an economy of 3.61. Moreover he is an attacking bowler. He can be economical if he wants i.e. & maidens on the trot however he is more of an attacking player and I wouldn't have it any other way. Its Pakistan we are talking about not India.

4. Not really, I am sure he is setting the batsman up for the yorker. If he bowls two three short ones then the batsman in usually expecting the yorker. Do it for four, five overs and the batsman has less of a chance picking it up. Plus he has a good short ball.

5. I agree he loses his concentration when not much is happening. i.e. going around the wicket which is stupid, but he will learn.

6. Knows how to reverse swing the ball, making him the perfect bowler to come on after the opening bowlers.

Therefore, None of your arguments stand against him. He is the best first-change bowler in Pakistan team. Show some faith in him. He has been bowling without luck most of the time.

He is a hard worker who is willing to learn. And Hard work should be valued more then natural talent. Imran Khan himself is a product of sheer hard work and determination.

[subshakerz]

Are you guys really serious? Umar Gul takes around 4 wickets a test, what more can you ask from a 3rd seamer? Until recently, he was leading the attack! Plus, I would say he's still the best exponent of reverse swing in our side, and he rounds off our attack perfectly. It's not his fault he rarely gets a chance to play test cricket, the more he plays, the more he has a chance to improve.

[LG]

0 wickets against Australia.
15 wickets against Bangladesh.

And still can only manage a pathetic career average of 33 and strike rate 55.

Take Bangladesh out of the reckoning and his average approaches a Mohammad Sami like 40 !
Are you high? He has yet to play a match against Australia.

[Wazeeri]

Gul was bowling brilliantly in this test match,
Unfortunately most people up here don't have anything but the cricinfo scorecard to go on.

[Rizwan25]

Talent wise i think he is one of the best bowlers in Pak in Test but he does not use his brain n he is not a smart bowler like Asif or even 17 yr old Ammer they set up a batsmen and know their weakness

like asif to vittori both time he swung it on good lenght where as gul would prolly bowl a bouncer n let him get his eye in
Many people here thinks that he is bowling great because he bolwed many maiden overs and didn't give a lot of runs but at the same time a weak NZ side piled up 400 runs in the first inning. He is either out of form or he forgot how to swing the ball. I agree with you that he is not a smart bolwer like Asif and Bond but this guy is a hard worker and I hope he gains his form asap.

[Ayyub]

Many people here thinks that he is bowling great because he bolwed many maiden overs and didn't give a lot of runs but at the same time a weak NZ side piled up 400 runs in the first inning. He is either out of form or he forgot how to swing the ball. I agree with you that he is not a smart bolwer like Asif and Bond but this guy is a hard worker and I hope he gains his form asap.

drop him and bring in Abdul rauf :D

[umarf76]

I am sorry guys but I am tired of Umar Gul. Guy can bowl a good bouncer and a good yorker. Great 20/20 bowler but that is where it ends. Till he sorts himself out we need to get rid of him and replace him a decent third seamer.

There must be an upcoming fast bowler in domestic cricket who is a wicket taker. I would go with either Wahab or Sohail Khan. Who else is bowling well in domestic cricket?

If there isnt anyone then maybe worth bring in Anwer Ali as our number 8 and 3rd pace bowler. He just got a fiver and seems to be in decent form.

[insaaniyat]

Gul is an amazing talent you are all fools
gul is a good talent more effective in 50-50 and t20

[Yaser]

gul is a good talent more effective in 50-50 and t20
like majority of the side :afridi

[insaaniyat]

like majority of the side :afridi
may be:)

[sultanator]

So you wanna drop Gul and wait until he improves? Waqar is bowling coach, Gul will improve if he stays.
________
DC MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES (http://dc.dispensaries.org/)

[Shehryar]

He always bowls too short in most matches,bowls much better bowling bit fuller lengths, Wonder when he does have a good yorker,why does he not use it more often in tests?
Some times he lacks imagination,and very rarely bowls well after changing the angle

There must be some competition for him to keep him on his toes,At the moment Pakistan does not seem to have any option other than these 3 bowlers playing currently.

[Inswinger]

I am sorry guys but I am tired of Umar Gul. Guy can bowl a good bouncer and a good yorker. Great 20/20 bowler but that is where it ends. Till he sorts himself out we need to get rid of him and replace him a decent third seamer.

There must be an upcoming fast bowler in domestic cricket who is a wicket taker. I would go with either Wahab or Sohail Khan. Who else is bowling well in domestic cricket?

If there isnt anyone then maybe worth bring in Anwer Ali as our number 8 and 3rd pace bowler. He just got a fiver and seems to be in decent form.
I;d take Gul over all the bowlers you named. Not many teams have a better 3rd samer than Gul. It's the batting that needs to be attacked.

[tauseefm]

I am sorry guys but I am tired of Umar Gul. Guy can bowl a good bouncer and a good yorker. Great 20/20 bowler but that is where it ends. Till he sorts himself out we need to get rid of him and replace him a decent third seamer.

There must be an upcoming fast bowler in domestic cricket who is a wicket taker. I would go with either Wahab or Sohail Khan. Who else is bowling well in domestic cricket?

If there isnt anyone then maybe worth bring in Anwer Ali as our number 8 and 3rd pace bowler. He just got a fiver and seems to be in decent form.

I would really like to see your critaria of judging which player is doing good and which isn't? How long have you guys been watching TEST cricket? If amir don't take wickets in next couple of test matches you will be asking for his head as well. Btw would you mind posting Asif, Amir and Gul's current series stats? btw if you find them plz have a look at them as well.

Wasay we(such supporters) totally deserve current PCB management and people like Zerdari as a Prez(like somebody posted on some thread. "Jasa moh wasi chapar")

[Ali888]

wahab riaz took wickets recently in australia against australia a team at an average of 20s and matched top aussie wicket-taker bollinger

Gul looks pathetic, his figures are pathetic, he has a test match average of over 30 despite a high proportion of those wickets being against bangladesh

15 out of his total 80 odd wickets against bangladesh !

[tauseefm]

wahab riaz took wickets recently in australia against australia a team at an average of 20s and matched top aussie wicket-taker bollinger

Gul looks pathetic, his figures are pathetic, he has a test match average of over 30 despite a high proportion of those wickets being against bangladesh

15 out of his total 80 odd wickets against bangladesh !

hahah aren't u the one who mentioned Gul hasn't taken a single wicket against AUS and forgot to mentioned that he hasn't played a single match against AUS yet? :)) :)) :)) :)))

[Ryankhan]

well if someone had to replace gul then i would bring in a young blood rather then 30 years old rauf.

i would bring in m.talha or wahab riaz, they are future of tomorow and they need to be in the team asap to get some exp while playing under seniors.

[khanz141]

Here are the stats for the series so far(rank 4-9 in terms of wickets), idk what do u guyz see that i dont see that you would want Gul to be out. He has always provided us with a break through of a set batsmen when we needed it. Its the batting because of which we are loosing matches.

Player Mat Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10
DR Tuffey (NZ) 2* 63.5 12 185 8 4/52 4/76 23.12 2.89 47.8 0 0
DL Vettori (NZ) 3* 111.0 33 287 8 4/58 4/115 35.87 2.58 83.2 0 0
Umar Gul (Pak) 3* 101.0 22 346 8 3/41 5/170 43.25 3.42 75.7 0 0
Mohammad Aamer (Pak) 3* 89.0 21 279 7 2/29 4/116 39.85 3.13 76.2 0 0

[*sallu*]

Here are the stats for the series so far(rank 4-9 in terms of wickets), idk what do u guyz see that i dont see that you would want Gul to be out. He has always provided us with a break through of a set batsmen when we needed it. Its the batting because of which we are loosing matches.

Player Mat Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10
DR Tuffey (NZ) 2* 63.5 12 185 8 4/52 4/76 23.12 2.89 47.8 0 0
DL Vettori (NZ) 3* 111.0 33 287 8 4/58 4/115 35.87 2.58 83.2 0 0
Umar Gul (Pak) 3* 101.0 22 346 8 3/41 5/170 43.25 3.42 75.7 0 0
Mohammad Aamer (Pak) 3* 89.0 21 279 7 2/29 4/116 39.85 3.13 76.2 0 0

I know that our batting has lost us the matches.

But please do not forget the fact that our so called world class bowling has also conceded more than 400 twice in 3 test matches.

What percentage of test matches are won conceding 400+ in the first innigs?
Personally, I would have played Arafat over Gul.
He can crank it upto 140ish and gets some good outswing going. New Zealand would have suited him.
Plus the batting option would be invaluable for us.

[LG]

I see that Ali is continuing his tradition of magically appearing whenever Gul doesn't get too many wickets.

[Ali888]

I think my appaearances are very consistent because gul often fails to take wickets or bowls in his now familiar brainless and inept manner

[sali]

Is anyone counting how many catches were dropped off of his bowling in the first two games? He is not our main strike bowler but he has done better than what the stats show.

Not to forget 30 and 26 valuable runs he made. Much better than few batsman in our team. I think the mistake has been not to play a 4th seamer in the first two tests and a 2nd spinner in the third test. We have worked our bowlers like donkeys and not allowed them to bowl short spells of 5-6 overs in each session. Yasir should have played in the 2nd test for one batsman.

[immubhai]

Is anyone counting how many catches were dropped off of his bowling in the first two games? He is not our main strike bowler but he has done better than what the stats show.

Not to forget 30 and 26 valuable runs he made. Much better than few batsman in our team. I think the mistake has been not to play a 4th seamer in the first two tests and a 2nd spinner in the third test. We have worked our bowlers like donkeys and not allowed them to bowl short spells of 5-6 overs in each session. Yasir should have played in the 2nd test for one batsman.


Oh Sali!

did you notice how many catches has Gul dropped in this series? far too many for my taste!
He is just not a test bowler for me. Most of the time he just bangs one in short and thats it.

[GLORY OF '92]

He needs to think more really. He has all the attributes, just the performance is poor ATM. Bowling short and wide to vettori is not clever and he needs to use the yorker more. MCG pitch should suit him, if he does not step up there then drop him.

[cric]

Oh Sali!

did you notice how many catches has Gul dropped in this series? far too many for my taste!
He is just not a test bowler for me. Most of the time he just bangs one in short and thats it.
every series pakistan have one very unlucky bowler. before it was sami and then kaneria. for this series it was gul. but still i don't know what he has been trying to do in last 8 months by trying to bowl bouncer and short ball. most of his bouncer is useless. many time it goes over the keeper. he startes his over with bouncer so there is no suprise eliment for batsmans. he has been pretty rubish even in odi now.

[Ali Raja]

every series pakistan have one very unlucky bowler. before it was sami and then kaneria. for this series it was gul. but still i don't know what he has been trying to do in last 8 months by trying to bowl bouncer and short ball. most of his bouncer is useless. many time it goes over the keeper. he startes his over with bouncer so there is no suprise eliment for batsmans. he has been pretty rubish even in odi now.

gul is the unlucky one? no way, it has to be amir. he has beaten the bat over 100 times now but he doesnt get the edge, why? he has bowled supebly, sometimes a bit short but still... he has been very unlucky.

[JeeraBlade]

Gul's career has started to look more and more like Aaqib Javed who was almost unplayable but did not shine as much in test matches. Statistical comparison:

Gul:

Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI Ave Econ SR 4 5
ODI: 67 67 532.4 40 2651 100 5/17 26.51 4.97 31.9 2 1
Tests: 24 44 843.0 133 3036 91 6/135 33.36 3.60 55.5 4 0



Aaqib:

Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI Ave Econ SR 4 5
ODIs: 163 159 1335.2 98 5721 182 7/37 31.43 4.28 44.0 2 4
Tests: 22 37 653.0 136 1874 54 5/84 34.70 2.86 72.5 1 0


Having said that -- Gul's 91 wickets in 24 test matches is much better than Aaqib's 54 wickets in 22 tests.

If we compare Gul's S/R with other contemporary pace bowlers, he is still not bad at all - in fact he is right in the middle of the pack -- considering he had to bowl on some really really flat tracks in Pakistan (Pace bowlers since 01 Jan 2000);
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?bowling_pacespin=1;class=1;filter=advan ced;orderby=bowling_strike_rate;qualmax1=999;qualm in1=90;qualval1=wickets;size=100;spanmin1=01+Jan+2 000;spanval1=span;template=results;type=bowling

If we sort the list by average, yes he is close to the bottom but still not bad --better than India's best bowler Zaheer Khan and close to Lee and Flintoff;

http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?bowling_pacespin=1;class=1;filter=advan ced;orderby=bowling_average;qualmax1=999;qualmin1= 90;qualval1=wickets;size=100;spanmin1=01+Jan+2000; spanval1=span;template=results;type=bowling

I think, he should keep him until bowlers like Talha, Wahab, Sohail and others prove themselves to be better than Gul. He'll be very handy 3rd seamer in England next year during the test series vs England and Australia.

[Da Best]

Stats only make players look good to an extent. But without a doubt, he is better in the shorter formats of the game. But in order for him to get better at test cricket, needs to learn how to bowl with the new ball again. Swing it both ways. His bouncers have been very ineffective.

[Ali Raja]

gul looks to toothless for my liking, never looks like taking a wicket. stats dont tell you that. he just jogs to the crease, maybe he is tired?

[Vegitto1]

Gul stays. He is likely to be one of our most successful bowlers i the Aus tour now that Waqar is back as bowling coach. That shuld give him confidence. His mentor is back in it.

Aamer and Gul had the worst fielding done of their bowling. Catches being droppeds,ones allowed to be converted into two and rubbish field placements.

[Ali Raja]

Gul stays. He is likely to be one of our most successful bowlers i the Aus tour now that Waqar is back as bowling coach. That shuld give him confidence. His mentor is back in it.

Aamer and Gul had the worst fielding done of their bowling. Catches being droppeds,ones allowed to be converted into two and rubbish field placements.

agree to some extent. amir and gul rely more on support from the fielders to get wickets, they both tend to bowl back-of-a-length whereas asif gets most of his wickets bowled or lbw because he bowles a fuller length

[siccric]

I think most of you haven't seen the first two games. Gul, by far, was more impressive than Aamer in those two games. Gul never does well on flat tracks without conditions for reverse swing, but to be fair, even Aamer wasn't threatening at all in this pitch. No bowler except Iain o Brien and Kaneria have been particularly threatening in this match, so it's unfair to judge. Gul is not good with the new ball but he is the best 3rd seamer in the country. Wahab should be there as backup for sure ,and if Gul fails once or twice in Australia, Wahab should be allowed to play :Gul

[immubhai]

every series pakistan have one very unlucky bowler. before it was sami and then kaneria. for this series it was gul. but still i don't know what he has been trying to do in last 8 months by trying to bowl bouncer and short ball. most of his bouncer is useless. many time it goes over the keeper. he startes his over with bouncer so there is no suprise eliment for batsmans. he has been pretty rubish even in odi now.


what unlucky mate? Sami was the useless Pakistani test bowler i have ever seen. Same is Danish K. its just the dearth of Leg Spinners in Pakistan that he makes the comeback after a while.

Gul has been so toothless in the last 8 months or so. He is just a one trick pony in T20- bowl yorkers and take occasional wicket as the batsman have to hit him out and they misses the ball in T20 but not in ODI. Forget about test matches. He has only been in team as he has been injury free in the last 2 years and he is a mate of YK and Afridi.

Plus we never have played so many test games in this time.

We need a wicket taking bowler in Test cricket. It has nothing to do with luck. Ok , i remember Kami dopping many catches off the bowling of both Sami and Danish but do you remember how many crap balls do they bowl in their spells? Did you check their economy rate in test cricket?

I am waiting on Qadir´s son then we have a new leggie for the test team . Even Afridi was lot better than this specialist leggie. Though Danish has improved over the years while playing for county cricket even there he was not "the next shane Warne"

[Ali Raja]

gul was more impressive than amir? u must be kidding me. amir provided us with early breakthroughs 3 times out of 4! he beat the time several times but was unlucky, he applied pressure on pushed them on the backfoot so asif was able to take wickets from the other end.

[cric]

gul is the unlucky one? no way, it has to be amir. he has beaten the bat over 100 times now but he doesnt get the edge, why? he has bowled supebly, sometimes a bit short but still... he has been very unlucky.
i was talking about dropped catches. and with the beating the bat with the ball aamer will do all his life with his outswinger. for him to take more wickets and sucses in test he has to devlope more variation and specially more inswinger. i am sure he will learn with time specially now wagar is bowling coach .

[daghetto]

I think they should find a new bowler to take his job now. Theres plenty of bowlers out there that can lead pakistans bowling in death-overs. gul just doesnt have it anymore, not in odis/tests atleast. hes a good t20 bowler though.

[AZ]

Sami would be a better option than Gul?!

[Ali Raja]

Sami would be a better option than Gul?!

He wouldn't be better, but its hard to see how he can be worse.

[AZ]

FFS, Sami's probably got the worst record for a Pakistani quick bowler who's played more than 20 Tests, but he's a better option than Gul?

[Ali Raja]

You never know, it's not like Gul is ripping the batsman apart. I would have preferred someone other than Sami, though. Not too sure who that would be, no one has stood out. Maybe we should just play two spinners.

[90MPH]

GUL, Aamer and Sami are not taking enough Test wickets.

-Aamer is still young, he will learn.

-Gul is going off colour and form - Waqar should sort him out.

-Sami is totally hopeless, and its too late for him now. His line and length is too easy because he does not seam the ball, rarely swings the new one and above all he can not bowl express speeds like he once did.

[AZ]

mark my words, Gul will be our best bowler in Australia

[Ali Raja]

mark my words, Gul will be our best bowler in Australia

I hope you're right. But i I highly doubt it. His short ball will be bread and butter for the aussies.

[AZ]

I hope you're right. But i I highly doubt it. His short ball will be bread and butter for the aussies.

on faster and more responsive pitches, Umar's bouncer could be really effective too

[Ali Raja]

on faster and more responsive pitches, Umar's bouncer could be really effective too

But you have to remember who we are playing against. It's not Peter Fulton and Daniel Flynn, it's Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and so on. Don't think they'll be troubled by short balls bowled at around 140.

[AZ]

a well-directed bouncer will trouble even the best batsmen

[Ali Raja]

a well-directed bouncer will trouble even the best batsmen

He bowled a good one at McCullum, but other than that I can remember any good bouncers from him, even the one McCullum got was more of a lifter.

[kkmix]

I agree, Gul doesn't look threatning at all IN TEST CRICKET, that too against new zealand, he will be unnoticed against australia. he hardly troubles the batsmen. He will bowl one unplayble delivery in 3 overs. Not good enough. We need a replacement for him in only test matches.

[Oxy]

Just a quick bump for those that now are asking 'Why was Gul dropped' after Day 1 v Aus

[Cheguvera]

Just a quick bump for those that now are asking 'Why was Gul dropped' after Day 1 v Aus

Gul for dropped for a Camel....

[WithLoveFromCanada]

Gul >>>>> Rauf

[Savak]

Gul was out of form and deserved to be axed, rested but he should have been replaced with the likes of Wahab Riaz, M.Talha, S.Khan not Rauf or Sami. Pathetic selection by the PCB and by Yousaf too.

[muhammad saad]

Gul >>>>> Rauf

Yea we already know ,that thread creator was just an idiot ;-)

[Savak]

Gul >>>>> Rauf

I agree but Gul has been out of form for a while, i would have replaced him with anyone from the lot of Wahab Riaz, Talha, Sohail Khan.

[Zaid23]

Gul has been taking wickets for pak in every inning of important batsmen....just look at his stats.....he doesnt pick 5ers....but pick importants wickets in the middle of the innings....just look at his wickets in last 2 test series.......Mccullum(twice), vettori, fulton( twice), ross taylor, elliot......

In Sri lanka........in second test Sangakara,Warna pura (twice),mathews and lower order batsman like kulasekara and herath......

this shows tht we need him in the middle of the innings and to remove the tail....we will strugle to remove the tail as well

[J-Essence]

eventhough he hardly picked up a wicket,,,,,it always seemed that gul gave batsmen hard time

[Rizwan25]

and gul still cant take a wicket... so what are the excuses now folks? :jm

[AZ]

and gul still cant take a wicket... so what are the excuses now folks? :jm

:30: :30: :30:

[muhammad saad]

The only thing I like about Gul is no matter how out of form he is he always manages to pickup a wkt or two here and there.

[zarak]

his seam position is still all whack

[Wazeeri]

Gul looks weak, the guy struggles to bowl over 140k's.

[*sallu*]

his seam position is still all whack

But how come?

there were a couple of genuises on the forum who said Waqar had fixed that all by looking at just one picture of Gul bowling

Surely the camera must have been playing tricks on all of us

[muhammad saad]

I think Gul need a couple of months layoff (atleast from test cricket) unless they want him to get injured badly.

[Ali888]

confirmation of how hopeless and useless Gul is

Even on a green top where other bowlers take wickets for fun Gul can only prize out a true no.11 batsman and even then give up his typical test average of close to 40 per wicket !

[Ali888]

my current bowler ranking for pakistan test team

Aamer
Asif
Afridi
Kaneria
Ajmal
Wahab Riaz
Rana Naved
Sami
Yasir Arafat
Younus
Mohammad Talha
Gul

[Extreme Pace]

Yep, no swing or seam movement and wasn't even troubling the No.10/11 batsmen while Asif on the other end looked unplayable. His drop in the first test was the right move and i think he needs to be dropped atleast from test cricket until he gets his form back.

[Sledger]

Well? It seems that Umar Gul is just an empty shell at the moment. He's jogging in and slows down before rolling his arm over to gift rather than an unleash a straight ball. The wicket and the conditions were perfect for any seam up bowler and Gul managed to just take out the #11 while being expensive in the context of the game. It's fair enough if he didn't take wickets but he was down on pace and bowled far too short, as if the wicket was flat. I can't see him ever turning his career around and becoming a good test bowler because he just doesn't have a clue.. are yorkers banned in a 5 day game? If that's your strength then at least attempt to bowl it.
Is it loss of form or something more? He's never been good in tests imo and I also think he has a very very poor bowling brain - i.e. his random urge to through in a bouncer for no reason at any given time.

Is Gul a one trick pony just good for T20Is?

[ZAK]

IMO he is unsure of his role in the team and possibly feels threatened by the re-emergence of Sami or perhaps he's not bowling as well because he doesnt feel the extra responsibility of being the spear head of the attack.

[dblock]

Injuries have staggered his career and it seems he is continually re-inventing himself.

In 2006 he looked to be turning into a promising test bowler after his long injury but then got injured again before the SA series and when he came back he became a T20 bowler to suit the types of matches Pakistan were playing.

Since then he has struggled to have the patience for the test game. He seems to be used to batsmen trying to hit him out of the park and counter-acting that.

Main problem is that he pitches deliveries too short!

[Sledger]

I think he does have patience and he can keep bowling - did any one notice his staggering bpm of under 100 yesterday?! - he's very fit so that shouldn't be a problem. I agree he bowls short but he also doesn't seem to think the batsmen out.. its like he's planned 6 balls to bowl before the over and said it's going to length, length, back of a length, bouncer, bouncer, length and doesn't adapt to what the batsmen's doing - he even struggled against the tail yesterdays :(.

[dblock]

I think he does have patience and he can keep bowling - did any one notice his staggering bpm of under 100 yesterday?! - he's very fit so that shouldn't be a problem. I agree he bowls short but he also doesn't seem to think the batsmen out.. its like he's planned 6 balls to bowl before the over and said it's going to length, length, back of a length, bouncer, bouncer, length and doesn't adapt to what the batsmen's doing - he even struggled against the tail yesterdays :(.

Well to me that shows lack of patience.

Whereas Asif might try one genuine wicket taking delivery in an over, i.e. one that genuinely commits the batsmen, Gul tries more, along with the bouncers and his outside off stump deliveries sometimes tend to be a foot to wide..meaning an easy leave.

I'm surprised he doesn't try more slower balls also, I remember he used them against Sri Lanka earlier this year to good affect.

[SlowerBall]

He is a quality bowler, I mean all good bowlers go through bad patches of form. He only requires one good spell and he will be back. But the question is WHEN??

[Sledger]

Well to me that shows lack of patience.

Whereas Asif might try one genuine wicket taking delivery in an over, i.e. one that genuinely commits the batsmen, Gul tries more, along with the bouncers and his outside off stump deliveries sometimes tend to be a foot to wide..meaning an easy leave.

I'm surprised he doesn't try more slower balls also, I remember he used them against Sri Lanka earlier this year to good affect.

Maybe he could work on his patience but the fact is he doesn't even look like taking a wicket half of the time, unlike someone like Danish Kaneria who has had similar criticisms.

I'm not sure about slower balls, but like I said he criminally underbowls his yorker in test matches.. not even at the tail enders. The one time Gul was quality in the longer format was against the West Indies in Pakistan where he really got the yorker going - I remember him bowling Sarwan with one and then breaking his toe with another! :))

[saadjhussain]

He is a quality bowler, I mean all good bowlers go through bad patches of form. He only requires one good spell and he will be back. But the question is WHEN??
In the second innings, he'll take 5 and win us the match by an innings :D

[z2_daredevil]

gul is one of the best we got

every bowler has a low phase hell bounce back soon

[octavian]

From the highlights that i saw , he wasn't all that bad.

[Sledger]

From the highlights that i saw , he wasn't all that bad.

Highlights don't tell the story.

[Sultan Yusuf]

Umar Gul it seems is an uncomfortable fast bowler. He doesn't look like a fast bowler, doesn't run like one, walk like one and definitely doesn't celebrate like one. He seems to fall apart at the seams.....the run up and action are lost over the course of the day

Maybe all those injuries have got to him. Twenty20 is fine because he does not have to sustain it for long......

Time for Talha, Wahab or Anwar Ali

[octavian]

Gul's def better than Anwar Ali

[Sultan Yusuf]

Gul's def better than Anwar Ali

Yea but we don't know do we? Surely he deserves a try - we can't only go by domestic. Some players like Aamer raise it another notch at the top level, some don't. But we really don't know how good some of our bowlers are.....

Surely there can be no harm in trying Anwar - if the potential is there, see if they sink or swim....

[LG]

From the highlights that i saw , he wasn't all that bad.
Highlights showed the good stuff. He's still not got his groove back. He follows some absolutely beautiful deliveries with terrible ones. Signs of lack of confidence and rhythm.

In fact one of the Aussie commentators was talking about how they all expected Gul to lead the Pakistani bowling attack prior to the start of the series. They said they were surprised to see him omitted from the first test, but the man himself wasn't surprised at all, and sounded like someone seriously lacking in confidence when they talked to him.

[octavian]

Highlights showed the good stuff. He's still not got his groove back. He follows some absolutely beautiful deliveries with terrible ones. Signs of lack of confidence and rhythm.

In fact one of the Aussie commentators was talking about how they all expected Gul to lead the Pakistani bowling attack prior to the start of the series. They said they were surprised to see him omitted from the first test, but the man himself wasn't surprised at all, and sounded like someone seriously lacking in confidence when they talked to him.

Very un-pathan like attitude that from Gul.

It's up to the management to give him the confidence needed. He certainly is capable enough.

[Inswinger]

There was definitely some improvement from Gul. I guess he's been working with Waqar and should continue to get back in form. I don;t know how much of an effect Waqar has had on the bowlers but it's definitely assuring to see him there instead of a half-asleep Inti and nonexistent Aaqib.

[octavian]

that said though, i wouldn't mind to see Talha given a go at gul's expense.

[Inswinger]

that said though, i wouldn't mind to see Talha given a go at gul's expense.
I'd like to see Talha included in the squad. Even if he does not play immediately it'll give him an opportunity to work with Waqar and experience the international scene.

[Sledger]

I agree that with Waqar in the setup, it can only be good for all the bowlers (I rate him very highly as coach) but the bigger issue is that Gul isn't a newbie and he should have had enough experience now to at least know how to bowl if he doesn't know whatto bowl. At the end of the day, nobody can bowl for him and he needs to find these things for himeslf - he doesn't seem a quick learner like an Aamer or Asif.

[Waseem]

No doubt Gul has been struggling in test cricket but he definitely bowled much better today. Ponting and Watson's wickets were tken at cruicial time and very much needed.

Well done GUL, i am sure Gul will learn his lesson and come back strongly.

He bowled best bowl of the day to get rid of Watson ( and to get him on 97 was icing on cake :D )

[AZ]

the Opening Post of this thread:

i think this guy is great to watch in t20 and odis but has no talent when it comes to test cricket. I would replace him with Rauf or Tanvir(if he is selected) for the rest of the series. :inti


:))) :))) :))) :))) :)))

[Rizwan25]

Bro look at the date when this thread was made, so don't compare it to guls todays performance. I knew it you where waiting for gul to take some wickets so u can come here and bash me since u have been owned so many times on this site.

You own captain picked Rauf over Gul in first test so its not only me who thinks gul is out of touch, and didn't yousef just said that we need an allrounder? Tanvir was picked by the great wasim akram along with Amir so u need to sit back and relax.

[Vegitto1]

Listen, he is a class bowler, just low on confidence.

Waqar has played a major part in boosting his confidence back up and now Gul is getting back to his best.

[Gollum]

Gul was much much better in the 2nd inning. Hitting the deck hard with a nice mix of full and short stuff. His best spell in 6 months I reckon. Hope it is not a one-off and he continues to improve his form.

[Boi]

Listen, he is a class bowler, just low on confidence.

Waqar has played a major part in boosting his confidence back up and now Gul is getting back to his best.
This.

He really did bowl nicely in the 2nd innings today. He should of had 4 wickets IF Kaneria didnt drop that catch.

[*sallu*]

That ball to Watson was unplayable

He worked him over Asifesquely

Full outswinging half volleys one after the other and then suddenly a short ball nipping back in.

He really bowled much better than I would have expected of him and I hope he keeps this up on most days

[Saj]

Waqar and Gul deserve plenty of praise in my opinion.

There were some technical problems and some confidence issues with Gul in the first innings and it would appear that both the bowling coach and the bowler himself have addressed the issues.

To say Gul is not made for test cricket is ridiculous.

[Tapori]

Saj - Spot on and may I add that many adrenaline filled knee-jerkers need to understand that this lad got a 5 for on ridiculously flat track at Multan in 2003 in his first match(es).

Was horrificly injured with stress fractures and was out for almost two years! Forced him to change his action.

Yet he came back strong - He seems a quiet unassuming lad who just plays cricket - His voice is hilariously disproportionate to his physique aswell.

Give the lad confidence and help him sort out his technicalities and we'll have more performances like today!

Sami too can be and needs to be worked on in a similiar vein.

[AZ]

Bro look at the date when this thread was made, so don't compare it to guls todays performance. I knew it you where waiting for gul to take some wickets so u can come here and bash me since u have been owned so many times on this site.

You own captain picked Rauf over Gul in first test so its not only me who thinks gul is out of touch, and didn't yousef just said that we need an allrounder? Tanvir was picked by the great wasim akram along with Amir so u need to sit back and relax.

no I was not waiting for today's performance at all, I've always backed Umar Gul and will continue to do so

and when have I been "owned" many times on this site?!

[Ali888]

looks like the threat of being dropped has caused gul to up his game slightly

Vindication for use of the stick against underperforming seniors like gul

He still owes Pakistan big time and maybe a longer period of being dropped will have a bigger impact on his performance

[LG]

^^ How about you look at it this way. Gul finally got the kind of help he needed. Waqar made a massive difference for Gul during his previous stint, and is doing so again.

Your comments about Gul are becoming more and more ridiculous. A longer period of being dropped will have a bigger impact?? :akhtar

[Zu456]

Guls bowling in this series has been well mediocre to say the least. he hasn't got many wickets and hasn't been too economical. So i wonder does he deserve a place in the test team. i wanted to know some of ur opinions.

should pakistan have tried out a different bowler for the dead rubber test. Furthermore Gul was able to get reverse swing in the t20s so y cant he do it in tests when even watson could do it.

So wat d u guys reckon?

[Gollum]

They will keep him for series after series because he is a 'senior' now :malik

[Savak]

He is slowly turning into another Sami. The way he is going, it wont be long before his bowling average touches 50.

[moz]

Gul has not bowled badly at all and has provided good support for the opening pair.

I'm not sure but i i'm sure he has lost a few wickets down to dropped catches..

[Zaz]

He needs to start performing or we should try some1 else, its been 3-4 series now since he last performed

[Rizwan25]

Plz keep Gul out of test squad...it hurts my eyes to see this guy bowl in test matches!

[Amjid Javed]

Plz keep Gul out of test squad...it hurts my eyes to see this guy bowl in test matches!

Well give your eyes a rest and dont bother watching the test matches then.

[chui_kadoo]

He is slowly turning into another Sami. The way he is going, it wont be long before his bowling average touches 50.
Hes averageing 36 at the moment with a strike rate of 60 so hes got a long way to go to catch Sami

[Impala_KaifTamasha]

We'll see how he performs in the coming tests

[emclub]

sreesaanth is better than him in tests

[Amjid Javed]

sreesaanth is better than him in tests

:))) Joke of the Year so far!

[Theo_14]

Plz keep Gul out of test squad...it hurts my eyes to see this guy bowl in test matches!

Just because he's had one poor day in a 'practice' match where the pitch suited the batsmen the most?

Seriously, I wouldn't be suprised if you changed your mind once the series actually begins - some so called fans are a complete joke.

[emclub]

^^^^you sayin 1 bad day........averages 35 in tests.....is that acceptable???

[Markhor]

The issue with Gul is that he bowls too short in Tests.He keeps bowling line and length when sometimes its worth mixing it up a bit,bowl a few yorkers and bouncers but he does not experiment like he does in the shorter forms.Sometimes you feel he just goes through the motions and if the wicket is not conducive to swing then he does struggle.Also fitness is a concern as he does break down with injury from time to time.He is however our best 3rd seamer in Tests but if a youngster like Junaid Khan blossoms,then I think we should have a look to switch things around a bit and let Gul stick to LOIs.

[pakistani_sher]

find one like aamir and replace him with gul

[RAZZAQ-FAN]

He'll take sum wickets in the next test match and the same person will be licking his butt soon after. If he's playing for Pakistan, i have nothing but support for the guy!

[Torpedo]

Please Umar, pitch some deliveries up and bring the slip cordon into play.

[pia786]

The slip cordon which can't catch won't catch ?

I don't know how many edges have landed short of them or at ankle height but they don't seem to have brain/wicketkeeper/captain to tell them to move closer ?

[bilawal666]

I honestly think we need to find a replacement for Gul, he's become very inconsistent of late and we don't see any variations either, he's just going through the motions I feel and it's a shame that Riaz missed out because he would've made an ideal candidate, at least that's what I think, what do you guys reckon...what does Gul need to do?

[WorldCup2011Glory]

Playing very well today. Track is terribad but he's creating pressure. That's all you can ask for now.

[bilawal666]

I know and I give him credit for that but I meant generally as a front line bowler, when was the last time he got a 5fer...a while, he produces some good deliveries every once in a while but that's not good enough because he needs to do that on a regular basis to be a real threat like Anderson, Johnson and Steyn...

[siccric]

I find it hilarious how during every test match Pak plays, a thread like this comes up about Gul... and then there are always 'He proved me wrong today' comments from the OP

[TV Umpire]

He has beaten Sanga at least on 4 different occasions this morning session on a DEAD pitch.

[Blitz]

Stupid thread.


He has never been effective :yk


His average backs it up.


Gul is Gul. Useful at times. The best we have. Bowled quite well in the series.

[velu]

lets see in the evening whether this is a jinx thread or not :D

[Down2Earth]

he just gets on with his job but when he smells blood, he's shifts up a gear or two :akhtar

[pakistanigoneaussie]

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?class=1;id=2011;type=year

averages 25 with the ball this year, fail thread

[Ironcat]

He has always been mediocre in tests. Gets his bursts every now and then though.

[tauseefm]

OP yaar akalay akalay asli cheez pi rahay ho? Saday naal v share karo g.

[ads101]

Really?

He's looked a lot better recently in tests ever since the loss of asif and amir than I've ever seen him. I'm pleasantly surprised actually, he's proved me wrong. Effective with the new ball too, something he's struggled with early on in his career.

[AZ]

he's looked much better after the Abu Dhabi Test, finally getting back to match fitness.

[tanzeel]

Whilst I'm militantly pro cannabis, I don't think it's ever a good idea to analyze something as intricate as cricket after smoking large amounts of it.

[Hando]

Looking much much better post WC

[batfirst]

Umar gul is a crap bowler! Our best bowlers are in prison!

[Zamee]

Umar gul is a crap bowler! Our best bowlers are in prison!

And you are a crap poster :)

[Shayan]

Umar gul is a crap bowler! Our best bowlers are in prison!

Really?!

[Poison]

He's much much improved with the new ball.

[VTEC]

Umar gul is a crap bowler! Our best bowlers are in prison!

An honest bowler bowling his heart out for Pakistan and bowling really well is Crap :facepalm:

While Convicted criminals are considered "Best Bowlers"

[bilawal666]

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?class=1;id=2011;type=year

averages 25 with the ball this year, fail thread
why the hate? it's just an opinion...

[bilawal666]

I find it hilarious how during every test match Pak plays, a thread like this comes up about Gul... and then there are always 'He proved me wrong today' comments from the OP
not this time mate...I'm still not impressed, he only snared two tail enders today

[Poison]

Did you see the ball he bowled to dismiss Paranavithana? Absolute jaffa.

[Ismailtoca]

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?class=1;id=2011;type=year

averages 25 with the ball this year, fail thread

+1

was just about to do this

[Justcrazy]

He was always avearge in Test.

[Sir.Unique]

Umar Gul is like the best bowler we have right now, I would prefer a cr4p Bowler over match fixers anyday btw Gul isn't cr4p

[w8in_4_0402]

he 2nd highest wicket taker in this series. on the most flatest tracks ever.

if you want to call him crap than what are SL fast bowlers??

[Zohaib Shah]

Umar Gul is the heart and Soul of Pakistan. How can you say that he's crap, when time and time again he came to our rescue when we needed a Bowler to lead our attack. He may not look as Talented as the other bowlers. But he surely isn't crap. He's one of those bowlers who have always stayed clean. Was never a attention seeker in my oppoin. I see nothing wrong with him.

[Zaz]

Bowled well this series - hope he kicks on from here because in the past hes been poor in test cricket

[JibranAnsari]

I think he is learning to use the new ball now, responsibility will make him a better bowler. I would not have taken him in my team before the series but he has proven himself with the ball.

[talha3]

LOL at OP. He's actually more effective than he used to be (apart from one small phase when he was good in test cricket).

[alberto]

gul is holding up the likes of riaz and cheema who if they had around 37 tests would have performed better. he's an overrated bowler.nothing special and there are many better alternatives in domestic cricket

[bilawal666]

gul is holding up the likes of riaz and cheema who if they had around 37 tests would have performed better. he's an overrated bowler.nothing special and there are many better alternatives in domestic cricket
my point exactly, thank you

[attock]

Gul has had a good series so far.....

[cricfan4ever]

Really?

He's looked a lot better recently in tests ever since the loss of asif and amir than I've ever seen him. I'm pleasantly surprised actually, he's proved me wrong. Effective with the new ball too, something he's struggled with early on in his career.

well said, Gul has looked impressive in this series!!! hopefully he carries on bowling like this in future series, on more responsive pitches he'll certainly get more wickets...he already has 13 wickets in this series!!! 1 4-fer & 2 3-fers...

[alberto]

bilawal666 is one of the bloggers who has a top view on pak cricket

[hur rizvi]

Previously he was crap with the new ball...

The way he has picked up wickets with new ball i am sure he has worked hard on hs new ball swing which has made him a better test bowler with old ball he has always been good...

[hasanmehmoodkhan]

agreed gul doesnt swing the bowl enough for test cricket he is best for T20 and odi

[TheHK16]

he's been our best bowler in this series

[ethan hunt]

more than anything its his seam position thats impressed and hence he has been able to get more movement than all the bowlers on show , hopefuly he doesnt go back to that wobbly seam again , im sure he will do well in future if he continues to bowl like this..

[alberto]

umar gul is an honest toiler at best