Umar Gul Appointed As Afghanistan Bowling Coach

Former Pakistan pacer Umar Gul has been appointed bowling coach and consultant of the Afghanistan men’s national cricket team. According to a Cricket Pakistan report, Gul is likely to join the team camp in Abu Dhabi on April 4.

Gul picked 427 wickets in 237 international games across all formats in 13 years of service to the Pakistan national cricket team. The 37-year-old has experience of coaching with Quetta Gladiators (PSL) and Galle Gladiators (in LPL).

“After coaching at PSL, KPL, LPL and domestic level, it is a pleasure to be associated with an international team. I will try my best to help the Afghan bowlers with my experience,” Gul was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

Honoured to be taking up this role: Umar Gul

As per the agreement between the Pakistan coach and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), the 37-year-old will be initially observed for three weeks and once the completion of the period is done, the board might offer him an extension.

“Honoured to be taking up this role with the @ACBofficials. Looking forward to imparting the best of the knowledge that I have and making it worth it for the boys,” Gul wrote on his official Twitter handle.

Coaching role requires a different kind of expertise: Umar Gul

Just after his retirement from all forms of the game in late 2020, Gul immediately joined Quetta Gladiators as their bowling coach.

“I think it is a role (coaching) that requires a different kind of expertise [to playing]. It’s a different ball game and we ex-cricketers overestimate ourselves on the basis of the cricket we played and think that we can easily take up coaching as a career straightaway,” Gul told ESPNcricinfo in an interview.

Afghanistan recently named former England batting coach Graham Thorpe as their head coach after the latter parted ways with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after the 4-0 Ashes humiliation in Down Under.

Also Read: Graham Thorpe Appointed As New Head Coach Of The Afghanistan Team