Srinagar: Former Pakistan pacer and bowling coach Umar Gul has made it clear that it would be difficult for pacer Mohammad Amir to make comeback in Pakistan squad at current time as team has got plenty of options.
In 2020, Amir announced retirement from international cricket at 28.
“I was surprised when he [Amir] took retirement from international cricket. It’s not uncommon for players to face challenges when their performance falls short. However, it’s important to remember that you can’t always pinpoint a specific coach or factor as the sole reason for being dropped. Instead, it’s better to hold yourself accountable and take responsibility,” Umar Gul said in an interview with Cricket Pakistan.
“When you place the blame on yourself, it becomes an opportunity for growth. You strive to improve even more, motivated by the challenge of performing better alongside coaches and teammates who are excelling and expecting more from you. Embracing these challenges ultimately enhances your performance,” Gul said.
Gul said that Pakistan have got plenty of options at this time in pace department and it would be difficult for Amir to find place in team even if he takes back his retirement.
“Honestly, if you talk about Hassan Ali or Mohammad Hasnain, when they are not able to secure their place in the team, even if Amir decides to come out of retirement, whom would you bench for him?” Gul said while highlighting the competition in pace department.
“You already have four to five regular fast bowlers playing. If we adopt a rotation policy like we saw in the New Zealand series, where one bowler played three matches and then another bowler played the next two matches, everyone bowled well and it wasn’t a case of someone performing poorly. Yes, Ihsanullah suffered an elbow injury, which deprived him of a fair opportunity. However, if you look at his performance in the PSL, you cannot disregard his skills. So, Pakistan has a lot of options in pace department right now,” he concluded.