Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket following his side Balochistan’s exit from the National T20 Cup 2020.
In the last round game of the National T20 Cup, Southern Punjab beat Balochistan to end their race in the competition. Umar Gul, in the post-match presentation, bid goodbye to competitive cricket with teary eyes.
However, The star pacer thanked his teammates, coaching staff, and his family for a successful career. Fellow cricketers gave a guard of honor to him at the end.
The Peshawar-born fast bowler was the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2009, a tournament that was won by men in green.
Umar Gul was arguably the best fast bowler in the death overs with his pinpoint yorkers.
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Known as “Guldozer” across Pakistani fans, Umar picked up career-best five wickets for only six runs in T20 World Cup 2009. He was also the leading wicket-taker in ICC T20 World Cup 2007 final. Currently, he’s part of PCB’s cricket committee.
In his speech, Umar Gul said:
“It has been an honor to represent my club, city, province, and country at various levels for two decades,” Gul said after the game. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my cricket, which has taught me the values of hard work, respect, commitment, and determination. During this journey, I have had the pleasure of meeting numerous people who have helped and supported me in some way. I want to thank all those people, as well as my teammates and peers, for their support.
“I owe a big thank you to the fans who supported me throughout my journey. They have been an inspiration, especially at times when the going was not great. Lastly, I thank my family for standing firmly behind me throughout my career and helping me to cherish my dreams of not only playing cricket but traveling across the country and globe. They have sacrificed a lot, while I also have missed their presence and company. I now look forward to spending valuable time with them but, it will be difficult to stay away from cricket, and I now look forward to giving back to the sport and the country that has made me one of the most fortunate people on the planet.”
Umar Gul played 125 first-class, 213 List-A, and 167 T20 matches, in which he took a total of 987 wickets.
The premium fast-bowler represented Pakistan in 47 Tests, 130 ODIs, and 60 T20Is, picking up 427 wickets across the formats. He remains the third-highest wicket-taker for Pakistan with an average of 17.
