Umar Gul announces retirement from all forms of cricket

Pakistan pacer Umar Gul has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He took to Twitter to confirm the decision late on Friday. 

Gul wrote, "With a very heavy heart and after a lot of thinking, i have decided to bid farewell to all formats of cricket after this National T20 Cup. I have always played for Pakistan with all my heart and 100% of hardwork. Cricket is and will always be my love n passion."

"But all good things have to come to an end. Praying that the future will hold much more for me. Secondly, i would like to thank @TheRealPCB and all the coaches and people who have been a part of my cricketing journey. Special thanks to media, my fans and followers who made it all worthwhile n supported me at all times. Thank u so much."

Umar Gul represented Pakistan in 47 Tests, 130 ODIs and 60 T20Is. He took 163 wickets in the longest format of the game, while scraping 179 wickets in ODIs and 85 in T20Is.

He was the part of the Pakistan side which lifted the 2009 T20 World Cup. Pakistan had beaten Sri Lanka in the final of the tournament to lift the trophy. Gul played a key role in the side's triumph as he ended the tournament as its highest wicket-taker (13 wickets in 7 matches).

It was also in the same tournament where he registered incredible bowling figures of 5/6 against New Zealand.

Gul made his debut for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in April 2003 at the age of 18, and since remained a mainstay of the limited-overs side until 2014. He made a comeback to the international setup in 2016 but failed to solidify his place.