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Pakistan’s Gul ready to fire

KARACHI - Pace spearhead Umar Gul insists he will not curb his aggressive style of bowling during the World Twenty20, saying his wicket-taking ability is key if Pakistan are to clinch the title.

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The 25-year-old, who is the leading wicket-taker in the newest form of the game with 24 victims in 14 matches, is in the best form of his career.

The lanky Peshawar-born paceman boasts a career-best 4-8 - the second best performance in T20 internationals behind New Zealand’s Mark Gillespie’s 4-7 against Kenya in 2007 - which helped Pakistan beat Australia in Dubai.

“I want to do better than the last time,” said Gul, who finished as the leading wicket-taker with 13 in seven matches to anchor Pakistan’s runners-up finish to India in the inaugural World Twenty20 held in South Africa in 2007.

Gul said he sees the batsman-oriented Twenty20 cricket as a big challenge.

“Bowling in Twenty20 is a great challenge, but I am always up for it and I believe in attacking the batsmen from the first delivery to the last,” he said.

Gul will be spearheading an attack which includes fast maturing Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar, Yasir Arafat and newcomer Mohammad Aamir.

The line-up looks inexperienced after Shoaib Akhtar was withdrawn due to injury and with Mohammad Asif still absent because of a one-year ban on doping.

But Gul is confident Pakistan can still bowl their opponents out.

“We have a balanced attack and if we bowl to a tight line and length, then we can get teams out or restrict them to gettable totals,” said Gul, who prefers to come as first-change in Twenty20 matches.

“Coming on first change helps you get more swing and it’s the ideal time to not only stop the flow of runs but to take wickets.

“We came so close to winning the title in 2007 but it was bad luck,” added Gul, whose three wickets restricted India to 157-5 in the final in the inaugural World Twenty20.

“This time round we want to finish it without a blemish. The title, nothing less, is the aim.”