Former Pakistan Pacer Umar Gul Appointed Bowling Coach Of Afghanistan Men’s Cricket Team

Umar Gul started his coaching career with PSL franchise Quetta Gladiators last year. Gul’s first major assignment for Afghanistan will be the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe next month.

Koushik Paul

Updated on: 26 May 2022 7:30 am

Umar Gul (R) discusses a point during Afghanistan's training session.

Afghanistan Cricket Board has named former Pakistan pacer Umar Gul as their men’s team bowling coach on Wednesday. Gul was recently employed by the ACB as the bowling consultant for the recently held training and preparation camp in UAE in April but decided to offer him a permanent contract. (More Cricket News)

The initial contract for Gul is till the end of the year with his first assignment being in the upcoming limited-overs away series against Zimbabwe starting next month. Afghanistan will play in three ICC World Cup Super League ODIs and as many T20s against Zimbabwe from June 4 to 14 in Harare.

“The Pakistani veteran worked with the fast bowlers in our national lineup and considering his effectiveness in the camp as well as based on the need, it was decided to offer him a permanent contract as the national team’s bowling coach,” the ACB said in a statement on their website.

The 39-year-old Gul retired from all forms of cricket in 2020 and kickstarted his coaching career with Pakistan Super League franchise Quetta Gladiators as a bowling coach last year. He had replaced his former Pakistan teammate Abdur Razzaq at Quetta.

Afghanistan are fifth in the Super League Standings having won seven of their nine matches to date, while opponents Zimbabwe are above only Netherlands at the foot of the table.For Pakistan, Gul played 47 Tests (163 wickets), 130 ODIs (179 wickets) and 60 T20s (85 wickets) between 2003 and 2016.

Umar Gul was also part of the Pakistan team that won the T20 World Cup in 2009 beating Sri Lanka in the final. Gul was also the top wicket-taker at the T20 World Cups in both 2007 and 2009, and is seventh in the all-time list for wicket-takers in T20s.