The day had had a melancholy feel from the start as dark clouds rested over the mountains that surround the Pallekele Stadium. It only seemed inevitable when the players ran for cover mid-way through the Zimbabwean innings. And the persistent rains ensured that they stayed off the field for almost two hours. It was then that the sun dramatically broke through the gloomy skies on Monday, illuminating the grass-bank on one side of the ground.
As the teams raced back onto the field, it wasn’t surprising that skipper Shahid Afridi threw the ball almost immediately to Umar Gul. The pacer from Peshawar, after all, has been a shining light and has gleamed brightly despite the murky atmosphere of Pakistan cricket over the last few years.
Gul has been the one sincere student in a classroom of misfits. The one guy whose performance the coach doesn’t have to break his head over — neither during practice nor while he is donning Pakistan’s colours and pushing his gangly self towards the bowling crease. He often keeps to himself during practice, and never shies away from putting in the hard yards.
Through Pakistan’s controversy-ridden tournament, the 26-year-old Gul has gone about his work almost discreetly, and has been the most influential bowler alongside his skipper. For the umpteenth time, it was Gul’s incisive spell of 3/36, with wickets either side of the rain-break, that set the game up for his team, before Asad Shafiq anchored a comfortable chase.
Since he made his debut seven years ago, Gul has seen a number of his pace colleagues either fall by the wayside or suffer regular disruptions in their careers. He will be the first to acknowledge that he isn’t as talented as Mohd Asif and Mohd Amir, Gul is a rare breed in Pakistan cricket: he is consistent. And though he rarely hogs the limelight, it’s almost as if he prefers it that way.
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