Pakistan paceman Umar Gul has been cleared to resume bowling by medical experts after recovering from a back injury. Gul, who played his last game in November, travelled to Sydney to have a check-up on his injury.
The news will be welcomed by the Indian Premier League (IPL) Kolkata team, who paid $150,000 (Dhs 550,650) to secure his services.
Gul told Sport Extra that he is looking forward to the IPL, and gave us his thoughts on Australia pulling out of their Pakistan tour.
SPORT EXTRA: Pakistan is currently in turmoil. As a cricketer, how can you promote an image of stability?
GUL: See, it happens to every country. There were bomb blasts in England. Did the athletes abandon the country? It should not be. Just a few days earlier, Zimbabwe came to Pakistan and we had a wonderful series. Fear factors should not be there. We are ready to host any country and cricketers have always been respected and revered. Yes, we are facing some problems, but each country goes through such a phase. There is nothing to be worried about.
You have been chosen to play for Kolkata in the IPL, to be played in April. How do you feel about representing Shahrukh Khan’s team?
It’s my pleasure to play for Shahrukh Khan’s team. I am a great admirer of him and his films are immensely popular in Pakistan. So it’s a great chance for me to be able to interact with him.
Have you met him before?
Yes, we met on the day of the final of the World Twenty20 championship in South Africa.
What about your captain in the IPL, Sourav Ganguly?
Again, it’s great news for me to be able to play under him. He is a great leader of men, besides being a great cricketer.
He was aggressive as a captain. At least that is what made him a success when he led India. I am looking forward to playing with him.
You will also have Shoaib Akhtar in your team as well...
That’s good, since Shoaib is a great fast bowler. And in four overs he can go at his best speed without being afraid of bowling longer spells.
What about the controversies that come with Akhtar?
Personally, for me and probably for all those who mix with him, it’s not at all like that. He is a very good person and always a good team man.
When I came to the team as a junior, I always had his support. He used to encourage the juniors a lot and I made it a routine to ask him questions regarding my bowling whenever I faced some problems.
Now that you will be in constant touch with Shahrukh Khan, if you are offered to play a role in a movie, would you accept it?
I don’t think so, especially now. If it is a role of a cricketer, I have no problems, though. But not in the role of a coach!
With the introduction of the IPL, more money is changing hands. Is it right to bid for cricketers?
I want to see the positive aspect of the side. We are getting paid handsomely with the IPL, so there’s nothing wrong in it.
Sharing the same dressing room with your rivals, won’t it reduce competitiveness?
When you are playing international cricket your weaknesses are always talked about. We need to formulate strategies to sort them out. So it will not affect us.
Jason Gillespie
Jason Gillespie is in India to play for the Ahmedabad Rockets in the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). ‘Dizzy’, as he is fondly called by his team-mates, was really impressed by the way new India fast bowler Ishant Sharma performed in the one-day tri-series against Australia and Sri Lanka Down Under.
And, as he tells Sport Extra, he is one of few Aussies not surprised by the level of performance from India’s ‘bad boy’ Harbhajan Singh.
SPORT EXTRA: You have played a lot against Harbhajan Singh. In the recent series against the Aussies, ‘Bhajji’ was in trouble over off-field controversies. How did you
see it?
GILLESPIE: See, I played against Harbhajan many times and I know he likes to play it hard. When somebody competes that hard it’s always a challenge to play against such cricketers. And Bhajji was superb in the series, despite all the controversies. That is what you want from a player.
Was the behaviour of the crowd towards him, as Bhajji said afterwards, fair?
Well, people in different parts of the world behave differently. It is up to the player to react the way he wants. When you are on tour you have to tackle these kinds of problems. Bhajji tackled it beautifully. He did not lose his cool and performed at his best. That is what you expect from a true professional.
Would you agree that the Aussie bowling attack is losing its sting?
I don’t think so. They lost only three times in the recent series and that is not the end of the world for me. The bowling attack is right on track. Soon you will find them winning matches once again. I am not panicking over the recent defeats in the one-dayers.
But the Indians beat the Aussies in their own backyard and they did it in style, dominating both final matches. Don’t you feel that the Australian domination over their opponents is on the wane?
Again, I beg to differ. I agree on the point that the Indians beat us in the two finals, fair and square. But again I am not ready to give so much importance to these two defeats. The domination we had over our opponents for a decade or so will not be easy to forget. And we did not lose the Test series either, remember. So why should we think that this was the end of the world? I know they have the determination to bounce back immediately.
It is said that you were particularly impressed with Ishant Sharma. What was so special about him?
His pace. The way he generated pace in Australia was awesome. I was really impressed with him.
Any words of advice for him?
He should not lose his pace. There will always be the temptation to go for the line and length, but he is just beginning his career and it is his pace that had intimidated the Aussies. So, at the moment, he should not lose his pace at any cost.
How do you feel about teaming up with former Australia team-mate Damien Martyn in the ICL?
It will be great to play alongside him again. We have fond memories of playing together for our country and I am sure those moments will come back in our discussions all the time. I am happy to be playing with him for the Rockets.
What do you think of the ICL and IPL?
The most important factor is that people should watch more cricket. Crowds are the essence of any sport and these two tournaments will create more interest. I think this is a good cause and we should be happy that the game is being followed so intensely in this part of the world. I am glad to be a part of it.
