'Unfortunately, in our culture...': Pakistan legend gives Bumrah's example as he slams country's cricket policies

Former Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul has hit out at the country’s cricket system, saying there is no proper rotation or workload management policy. Gul even took the example of India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah to show how Pakistan is falling behind in terms of the standard of cricket being played around the world.

Gul said that in Pakistan, most players try to play even when they are only “70 to 80 percent fit.” According to him, this happens because players fear that if they miss a match of two, someone else will perform well and take their place. In contrast, India’s BCCI has handled Bumrah’s workload smartly, making sure he only plays important matches.

“On both sides, there is responsibility not only on the players but also on the management, including trainers and medical staff. For the player, I would say that if someone is injured, he knows best from inside how he is feeling, what the exact nature of his injury is. Doctors can tell you to take rest for two weeks, four weeks, or five weeks, but the player himself knows what he really needs and when he will be ready,” Gul said on PTV Sports.

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“Rehab is very important for players. In my opinion, some of our players have had injuries, but because their rehab was not done perfectly, their pace or performance dropped. Rehab plays a big role. The system should ensure that if the doctor says rest for five or six weeks, it actually means they are giving you an extra week or so to make sure you are fully recovered,” he added.

Gul cites Bumrah’s example

During the recent Test series against England, Bumrah was rested for two matches out of five to keep him fresh for upcoming tournaments. The BCCI does the same with other key players as well to maintain their workload and keep them injury free by opting for a rotation policy.

“Another very important thing is the rotation policy. For example, when we say someone like Bumrah only plays in ICC events, the idea is that when our premium bowler comes back fit, the first priority should always be him. Unfortunately, in our culture and system, there is a problem: even when a senior player is only 70–80% fit, he insists on playing. The fear is that if another player comes in and performs well, then the senior may lose his place,” Gul said.

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“So, rotation policy is not properly followed here. Instead, we only look at performance—if a new guy performs, we immediately put him in. I think trust needs to be developed in the system, and proper rotation policy should be followed, but the priority should remain that when your senior is fully fit, he should play,” he added.

When premier Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi had injured his knee in 2022-23, his comeback was not properly planned by the PCB, with some former cricketers even accusing the board of mismanaging Afridi’s injury. Saim Ayub’s injury management also faced similar criticism earlier this year.

India and Pakistan are slated to play against each other in the Asia Cup 2025 on September 14. The match will be played at Dubai International Stadium.