Veteran fast-bowler Umar Gul said on Saturday Pakistan should revamp its domestic structure on the same lines as India’s to improve the team’s ranking in all formats.
The 31-year-old bowler, who has been afflicted with persistent knee problems despite surgery in 2013, said that Indian cricket has developed because of its established domestic system and its leagues such as the Indian Premier League.
Gul, who has 163 wickets in 47 Tests and another 173 in 126 One Day Internationals to his name, advised the Pakistan Cricket Board to follow India’s example.
“India is producing top batsmen because they have consistent pitches for domestic matches, which are suited for batting and their players gain in batting confidence.”
“In Pakistan the pitches vary a lot and this dents the progress of younger players,” said Gul, according to the Press Trust of India.
In his opinion other problems which plagued Pakistan domestic cricket include the absence of an advanced schedule which is present in other countries and the brand of balls used, which keeps changing in domestic cricket in Pakistan.
Further, the bowler said that because of the lack of earning opportunities at home, domestic players are forced to play in England on smaller contracts every year.
“I know players who also do other work to earn extra money in England to support their families.”
“Once they earn enough because of the PCB super league they wouldn’t need to go anywhere else to earn money and they can program their careers accordingly,” Gul said.
“The Indian domestic players are now earning a lot more compared to our players only because of the Indian Premier League. That is why no Indian plays in any other league, they don’t need too,” he noted.
Gul, who has not made an appearance for Pakistan since the T20 series in Bangladesh in April, said that the IPL had provided a big boost for Indian cricket.
“The IPL has not only boosted the earnings of Indian domestic players, but also provided them the chance to share dressing rooms with the top players, learn from the best coaches in the world and also improve their cricket skills quickly.”
