Umar Gul

Umar Gul

Pakistan

Full name Umar Gul
Born October 15, 1982, Peshawar, North-Western Frontier Province
Current age 24 years 137 days
Major teams Pakistan, Gloucestershire, Pakistan A, Pakistan International Airlines
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	14	17	2	116	26	7.73	303	38.28	0	0	15	3	4	0
ODIs	25	4	1	34	17*	11.33	71	47.88	0	0	4	0	2	0
First-class	39	43	7	404	46	11.22			0	0			10	0
List A	57	19	9	85	17*	8.50			0	0			7	0
Twenty20	8	5	1	28	11	7.00	26	107.69	0	0			4	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	14	3141	1868	61	5/31	9/164	30.62	3.56	51.49	5	3	0
ODIs	25	1153	883	30	5/17	5/17	29.43	4.59	38.43	0	1	0
First-class	39	7974	4605	184	8/78		25.02	3.46	43.33	12	12	1
List A	57	2740	2169	74	5/17	5/17	29.31	4.74	37.02	1	1	0
Twenty20	8	178	195	13	4/21	4/21	15.00	6.57	13.69	1	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Pakistan v Bangladesh at Karachi - Aug 20-24, 2003
Last Test	Pakistan v West Indies at Karachi - Nov 27-Dec 1, 2006
ODI debut	Pakistan v Zimbabwe at Sharjah - Apr 3, 2003
Last ODI	Pakistan v West Indies at Karachi - Dec 16, 2006
First-class span	2001/02 - 2006/07
List A span	2002/03 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2004/05 - 2006/07

Profile

A fast bowler of growing repute, Umar Gul is the latest in Pakistan's assembly-line of pace-bowling talent. He had played just nine first-class matches when called up for national duty in the wake of Pakistan's poor 2003 World Cup. On the flat tracks of Sharjah, Gul performed admirably, maintaining excellent discipline and getting appreciable outswing with the new ball. Gul isn't in the Shoaib Akhtar category in terms of pace, but his exceptional control and ability to extract seam movement marks him out. Further, his height enables him to extract bounce on most surfaces and from his natural back of a length, it is a useful trait. His biggest moment in his brief international career came in the Lahore Test against India in 2003-04. Unfazed by a daunting batting line-up, Gul tore through the Indian top order with his ability to move the ball both ways off the seam at a sharp pace. His 5 for 31 in the first innings gave Pakistan the early initiative which they drove home to win the Test and level the series. Unfortunately, that was his last cricket of any kind for over a year as he discovered three stress fractures in his back immediately after the Test. The injury would have ended many an international career, but Gul returned, fitter and sharper than before in late 2005. He wasn't picked for the winter series against England but finally put on a Pakistan shirt against India in the ODI series at home in February 2006. He went to Sri Lanka and opened the bowling in both Tests with Mohammad Asif and showed further signs of rehabilitation by lasting both Tests but it was really the second half of 2006, where he fully came of age. Leading the attack against England and then the West Indies as Pakistan's main bowlers suffered injuries, Gul stood tall, finishing Pakistan's best bowler. An ankle injury stopped him from playing in South Africa but with Mohammad Sami fading, Gul has established himself, along with Asif, as the most promising quick in the land. In October he signed a one-year contract with Gloucestershire for the 2007 season.