He single handedly demolished New Zealand with his five-for but Umar Gul said the foundation for the Pakistan victory was laid by a splendid bowling effort at the start, especially in the first six overs.
Gul's dazzling fast bowling spell scripted Pakistan's six wicket win, which strengthened his side's chances to make the semifinal stage, here on Saturday.
"It was a special day. I think the main thing was that we bowled well in the first six overs and did not give too many runs. We got three wickets. Then I was told to go for wickets and I did that, Gul, Man-of-the-Match, said.
On being asked about his devastating missile like yorkers he said, "We practice yorkers and low bouncers. Aqib (Javed) Bhai helped and often Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram give me a lot of help."
Pakistan skipper Younis Khan said they decided to use Gul late in the innings because the paceman is best suited for that stage in this format.
"It was a good toss to lose. When you get wickets, specially in first six over, it's good. Gul's bowling was turning point for us. He knows Twenty20, so we wanted to utilise him in the mid of the innings," he said.
Losing skipper Daniel Vettori admitted that they were never in the reckoning after getting out at a meagre 99.
"We wanted to exert pressure by scoring a good total. Unfortunately we did not get that total. They bowled really well and put the ball in decent areas. It was incredibly difficult to defend a hundred," he said.
New Zealand will play their last match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday and Vettori said they are wary of their strength.
"They are one of the favourite teams along with South Africa and we are looking forward for the game on Tuesday."
Good start was key to special win: Gul
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