Umar Gul: “When Abbas Afridi was picked and I was with the Pakistan team as a bowling coach in New Zealand, I felt more pressure than him. People often criticise players with connections, but at the end of the day, it’s the performance that speaks”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan pace bowler Umar Gul has admitted that during his time as a bowling coach with the national team, he was worried his nephew Abbas Afridi would be accused of benefitting from nepotism.
Afridi has become a key member of the T20I team, where he has established his reputation as a reliable wicket-taker.
Gul conceded he is very proud to see the 24-year-old speedster proving himself with the ball and showing why he belongs in the Pakistan team.
“When Abbas Afridi was picked and I was with the Pakistan team as a bowling coach in New Zealand, I felt more pressure than him. People often criticise players with connections, but at the end of the day, it’s the performance that speaks. I worried they’d say he was selected on recommendation, but alhamdulillah, from his debut onward, he proved himself,” he was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Afridi recently featured in Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore and took two wickets in one game at an average of 13 and an economy rate of 6.50.
Pakistan then toured Bangladesh for three T20Is and Afridi finished with three wickets at an average of 17.66 and an economy rate of 8.83.
Despite his strong performances, he was not selected for Pakistan’s white-ball tour of the West Indies, which consisted of three T20Is and three ODIs.
He also failed to make the cut for the T20I tri-series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan in Sharjah, which the men in green won.
Pakistan are now playing in the 2025 Asia Cup, which is being held in the UAE.
Pakistan squad for UAE T20I tri-series and 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem
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