Gul, who last played for Pakistan in South Africa earlier this year, has undergone a knee surgery in Melbourne in May and is yet to convince the selectors he is ready for a comeback to the national team.
"Pakistan captains, Misbah-ul-Haq and Muhammad Hafeez had conveyed to the selectors they wanted Gul back in the national side for the Sri Lanka series," one reliable source told PTI.
"Because of this the selectors decided to have a fitness test for Gul at the NCA, where he bowled in the nets but apparently he failed to convince the selectors he had made a 100 percent recovery from his operation and was fully match fit for international cricket," the source said.
Another source said that the medical panel of the board would reassess the rehabiliation process for Gul and he might have to undergo another fitness test soon.
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"The selectors have noted that Gul has so far played in only a couple of T20 and one-day matches for Habib bank in domestic cricket and is yet to be tested in a first class match," the source said.
"Misbah was keen to have Gul for the one-day series against the Lankans but it appears as if Gul will take some more time to make a comeback to international cricket," the source stated.