Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul retired from all forms of cricket after playing his final game in the National T20 Cup for Balochistan on Friday.
On 16 October 2020, after the final group-stage match of the Cup, the 36-year old bid adieu to the game following a career that spanned twenty years. His side lost to Southern Punjab (Pakistan) in Rawalpindi to be out of the reckoning for the semifinals.
“With a very heavy heart and after a lot of thinking, I have decided to bid farewell to all formats of cricket after this National T20 Cup,” the 36-year-old wrote on his Twitter handle in a series of tweets thanking the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), his fans, followers and the media.
The Peshawar-born pacer made his international debut in an ODI in 2003 and made his test debut in the same year. He played for Pakistan last in the year 2016 in an ODI.
In his 13-year international career, Gul took 163 wickets at an average of 34.06 in 47 Test matches. He also claimed 179 wickets from 130 ODIs, besides 85 wickets from 60 T20Is.
In an emotional post-match interview, Gul thanked the PCB, who according to him, fed him like a mother, and his fans and family for the support. Gul added that cricket was his passion and he didn’t want to leave it but there comes a day when you have to bid goodbye to the thing you most love.
Wasim Khan, Managing Director PCB, said, "On behalf of PCB, I congratulate Umar Gul for an outstanding career & thank him for his contribution in enhancing the image and reputation of Pakistan cricket. I'm sure he will continue to add immense value off the field within the game and we wish him well for the future."
#ThankYouUmarGul and his popular on-field name #Guldozer started trending on Twitter. The fans, experts and journalists said it was the end of an era as Gul was one of the superstars in T20I cricket when the format was in its nascent stage in the early 2010s and wished their best for his second innings.
Here are some of the reactions.
Not just the fans, his Pakistan Cricket Team teammates from Shoaib Malik, Azhar Ali to Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah Ul-Haq and legendary Wasim Akram appreciated Gul on an amazing career and wished their best for his future endeavours.
Here are the reactions:
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