KARACHI, Dec 12: Pakistan’s injured fast bowler Umar Gul, who was ruled out of the Indian tour with a back problem, is confident of making a comeback to bowling in the first week of January.

Gul, who travelled to India with the team, complained of a back problem soon after the one-day series which was finally diagnosed as a muscle spasm by the authorities.

“I have rested a lot and I feel okay now. But I have not bowled for a while and the board has asked me to appear for a fitness check-up tomorrow in Lahore before the PCB medical panel,” he said on Wednesday.

“I am looking forward to resuming bowling by the first week of next month, provided everything goes well. I know it is not a serious injury nor a recurrence of the back stress fracture I had two years ago,” he said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Operating Officer (COO), Shafqat Naghmi said it was premature to speculate on Gul’s condition but he had been told to take a week’s rest before his check-up. “We are confident it is nothing serious but we are prepared for any eventuality. We are facing frequent fitness problems with our main bowlers and we want to ensure they don’t suffer long term injuries,” Naghmi said.

The board has already sent pacer Mohammad Asif to Australia for surgery on his elbow and the pacer is expected to be out of action for another three months.

Gul said niggling injuries to pace bowlers were very common these days due to hectic international commitments. “You can’t escape from them despite the improved fitness programmes we follow these days and the training regimens we go through.”

Gul said he was very disappointed to not play in the Tests in India after bowling well in the one-dayers. “I would have loved to make a difference in the team. It was disappointing to lose the series on the basis of just one match,” he said.—Agencies

Opinion

Editorial

Anti-women state
Updated 25 Nov, 2024

Anti-women state

GLOBALLY, women are tormented by the worst tools of exploitation: rape, sexual abuse, GBV, IPV, and more are among...
IT sector concerns
25 Nov, 2024

IT sector concerns

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ambitious plan to increase Pakistan’s IT exports from $3.2bn to $25bn in the ...
Israel’s war crimes
25 Nov, 2024

Israel’s war crimes

WHILE some powerful states are shielding Israel from censure, the court of global opinion is quite clear: there is...
Short-changed?
Updated 24 Nov, 2024

Short-changed?

As nations continue to argue, the international community must recognise that climate finance is not merely about numbers.
Overblown ‘threat’
24 Nov, 2024

Overblown ‘threat’

ON the eve of the PTI’s ‘do or die’ protest in the federal capital, there seemed to be little evidence of the...
Exclusive politics
24 Nov, 2024

Exclusive politics

THERE has been a gradual erasure of the voices of most marginalised groups from Pakistan’s mainstream political...