KARACHI – Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam has warned that fast bowler Umar Gul will be at his destructive best for the three Tests against West Indies later this month after refreshing himself by sitting out of the ODIs.
Gul opted out of the five ODIs, saying he wanted to rest and spend time with his family after a taxing World Cup campaign where Pakistan reached the semi-finals.
“Gul needed a rest. The last time when we rested him, he returned with a bang and I expect him to do that again soon,” Intikhab was quoted as saying.
The 26-year old has become the spearhead of Pakistan’s attack in recent years, taking 125 wickets in 34 Tests. Gul’s absence for the limited overs matches of the tour leaves Pakistan short of experience bowlers, with speedster Shoaib Akhtar having retired after the World Cup and medium pacer Abdul Razzaq dropped.
Rookies Wahab Riaz, Juniad Khan and Sadaf Hussain are set to lead the attack in the one-day series, but Intikhab said he believed they would adjust well. “We have Wahab Riaz who is getting better and better,” he noted. “Junaid Khan is really good while Sadaf, we have been told, is a decent find.”
