KARACHI: Although the heart-breaking loss to India in the Twenty20 World Cup final would haunt him for some time to come, Pakistani pacer Umar Gul said he is relieved to have come out largely unscathed in an event tailored for batsmen.
"I am proud of these 13 wickets. They mean a lot to me. First they helped my team do well and secondly they came in a form of cricket which is meant for the batsmen and not bowlers," Gul, who emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the championship, said on reaching home.
"Twenty20 cricket might be a batsmen's game but even then as a bowler you have to stick to the basics and mix up your bowling. I also tried to maintain a good pace," he added.
Gul hails from the Nawakheli hamlet on the outskirts of Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province, which is more famous for having produced a battery of squash champions, including Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan.
But Gul said he always loved cricket and always dreamt of becoming a fast bowler.
"I know there is a lot of influence of squash in our ancestral home but I went for cricket as I found it more challenging and glamorous," he quipped.
The youngster, who suffered a stress fracture of the back after taking five wickets in a Test against India in 2004, has shown great improvement since returning to the side in 2006.
Gul said he enjoyed the challenge of bowling to the Australian and Indian batsmen in the Twenty20 Championship.
"We beat the World Champions Australia and then a very good side, New Zealand, on our way to the final. The Indians were just that bit better than us on the given day. But I thought we were in a position to win both times against them," he said.
The pacer felt except for the final loss, the young Pakistani team played exceptionally well in event.
"No one likes to lose. But it is nothing to worry about. We have a good team and we will do better in future. Given our performance in the World Cup in the West Indies, it was a good show from us," he said.
