Gul may be fit to play at Lord's
There is a good chance that Pakistani pace bowler, Umar Gul, will be fit to play in the fourth and the final Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord’s. Gul had missed the third Test match against England at the Oval after he suffered from a hamstring strain during the Edgbaston Test match and had failed to play any further part in that game as well. England lead the four Test match series 2-1.
Gul was replaced by Wahab Riaz in the third match, and Riaz made an exciting debut. He captured five wickets in the first innings of the game to push the English side onto the back foot and in the process won his side the game. If Gul is declared fit for the game, it will be an interesting toss-up between the two bowlers, given that one is fresh from a five-wicket haul but inexperienced, and the other is an experienced bowled but may not be 100% fit, going into the game.
Salman Butt, the Indian captain refused to commit on anything but said that they were hopeful of his presence in the side. Earlier, it was said that Gul may not play in any of the games and would be doubtful for the ODIs as well, but his work with the fitness trainers seems to be paying off rather well.
Interestingly, Gul’s fitness regime in the days leading up to this Test match consists of sending down 'no-effort' balls. This saw him run in his entire run-up but not deliver the ball, done in order to determine whether his injury has been healing.
According to the trainer, David Dwyer, the recovery had gone ahead as expected, but the final decision will be taken on the day of the Test match at Lord’s.
Gul has been bowling reasonably long spells in the nets for some time now, and the only concern that the Pakistan side will have is whether he will survive the five days of Test match cricket. Gul has been one of the in-form bowlers of the Pakistani lot, having picked up four wickets in the first Test match. He also batted well enough in the game, and scored 65 – the highest score for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 in that game.
Gul has had a good Test match at Lord’s when he scalped a five-wicket haul against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 before this series. He has 108 wickets in Test match cricket and 103 scalps in ODI cricket. However, he is best known for his bowling in the T20I cricket, where he has picked up 46 in only 28 games.
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