Gul pleased with rhythm ahead of England Tests

Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul, who picked eight wickets in the recently concluded two-Test series against Australia, was pleased with his form and was keen to play a more decisive role in the upcoming Test matches against England.

"I feel quite fit as I am back to best rhythm," Gul told the News. "I am looking forward to playing an important role for my country here in the series against England. I was out of match practice before the start of English tour and after playing a few matches here, I feel more comfortable and confident to deliver to the best of my abilities during the upcoming series."

Gul, who returned to the side for the England tour following shoulder injury, made an instant impact with his inch-perfect yorkers that helped Pakistan beat Australia 2-0 in the Twenty20 series. He slipped into the third seamer's role in the Test matches, while his pace colleagues Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif stole the headlines as Pakistan came back to draw the series 1-1. Gul believed the trio would only get stronger through the course of the tour.

"I think the worst part is over. We are here in England for almost a month now and have become accustomed to the conditions very well. Mohammad Asif knows well how to bowl in such conditions. Mohammad Aamer has proved his potential during the series against Australia. So I feel that the performance of bowlers against England would be much better than what they have shown against Australia. Even if the Pakistan attack performs the way it did against Australia, they would provide a good opportunity to their batsmen to win for the country," Gul said.

Gul appreciated the role played by the team coach Waqar Younis and bowling coach Aaqib Javed, both experienced fast bowlers. "Their presence with the team, especially with bowlers, is of great benefit. Both have been of big help to the team members. They are very experienced and know the conditions in England very well. Even batsmen can make full use of their experience," Gul said.

Pakistan's batsmen struggled through the Australia series and suffered some tense moments before winning the second Test, after the bowlers had set it up by bowling Australia out for 88 in the first innings. Gul was confident that the inexperienced batting line-up would do better against England. "Some of the batsmen are young and want to contribute to success of the team. Some of them played brilliantly and others are gearing up to make full use of their talent during the series," he said.

Pakistan struggled to score the 40 runs needed for victory on the fourth morning in Headingley and lost four wickets before limping across the line. Gul, who brought up the hard-fought win with a boundary, revealed he had backed himself to score the winning runs despite the tension in the dressing room.

"I was very confident to hit the winning run. Though the atmosphere was tense, I was normal as ever. Instead of tapping the ball for one, I think an attacking shot would have been ideal at that time and I did exactly that. I aimed for the gap at mid-off and succeeded in piercing through the field. Though basically I am a bowler, I never thought that I would remember any match for hitting. Though there were not enough runs to score when I landed at the crease, the situation was tense, and I was confident of hit the winning run without the loss of any further wickets."