Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal appointed Pakistan bowling coaches

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed former players, Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, as the fast bowling and spin bowling coaches, respectively, for the men’s team.

Their inaugural assignments in these roles include the Test series against Australia scheduled from 14 December 2023 to 7 January 2024 and the T20I series against New Zealand from 12 to 21 January 2024.

Following the World Cup 2023 debacle, the PCB has replaced the whole management and coaching staff of the team with Mohammad Hafeez taking over as team director, Wahab Riaz as chief selector while Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi were appointed as Test and T20 captains.

Umar Gul previously served as the bowling coach for the Pakistan team during the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, and the subsequent series against New Zealand at home.

He has also been the bowling coach for Quetta Gladiators in the last PSL season and Afghanistan’s bowling coach in the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2022.

Gul made his international debut in 2003, representing Pakistan in 47 Tests (163 wickets at 34.06), 130 ODIs (179 wickets at 29.34), and 60 T20Is (85 wickets at 16.97) between 2003 and 2016.

Expressing excitement over his appointment, he thanked the PCB and its chief Zaka Ashraf and vowed to use his coaching expertise with the aim of elevating Pakistan's bowling prowess to new heights

Similarly, Ajmal will take charge as the spin bowling coach.

Ajmal, who made his international debut in 2008, represented Pakistan in 35 Tests, 113 ODIs, and 64 T20Is, picking up 447 wickets across the three formats. He also served as the spin bowling coach with the HBL PSL franchise Islamabad United.

The former world no 1 ODI bowler was delighted to be given the opportunity.

“I am delighted to contribute to the development of spin bowling talent within the Pakistan national team. I believe my career and coaching experience will help enhance the spin bowling arsenal of the team."