Umar Gul takes a dig at Mohammad Amir

Former cricketer, Umar Gul, expressed his opinions regarding the decision made by Mohammad Amir to retire from international cricket and his potential comeback if he reverses his decision.

In 2020, Amir had held then Pakistan team management responsible for his decision to quit international cricket at 28 and slammed then head coach, Misbah-ul-Haq, and bowling coach, Waqar Younis, for “spoiling” his image.

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Gul expressed his surprise at Amir's decision and emphasized the importance of self-reflection and personal responsibility when faced with challenges in one's performance.

"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," Gul said.

"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," he added.

The former pacer also highlighted that even if Amir decides to reverse his retirement decision, there are other skilled fast bowlers vying for a place in the team.

"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?" he questioned.

"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.