Speaking at Lord’s during the captains’ press conference on the eve of Pakistan’s first warm-up against South Africa, Younis played down the lack of aggressiveness at the top of the order and, instead, pointed out the presence of all-rounders as his side’s secret to success.
‘I wouldn’t worry about slow openers because we have big hitters like Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq, who is a top Twenty20 player,’ Younis said.
‘We actually need players like Salman Butt at the top of the order since the ball is seaming and swinging and he’s someone who can last 20 overs in the middle.’
Apart from Salman, Pakistan have two other specialist openers in the side, Ahmed Shahzad and Shahzaib Hasan, both of whom are yet to make their Twenty20 International debut.
Younis, reluctant to divulge exact details, hinted at the possibility of Kamran Akmal or Afridi opening the batting if the situation arises. He also urged his team, lacking the killer instinct in the last World Twenty20 Championship, to ensure the added experience since then is utlilised effectively.
‘We played really well last time round [in South Africa] but failed to lift the trophy as we lacked the finishing touch. We lost to India prior to the final because we failed to hit the stumps [in the bowl-out] and in the final we failed to overcome the final hurdle after getting so close.
‘We have, however, worked on that since and we would love to be in the final again and hopefully going one better this time.’
Younis also termed the tournament as ideal preparation, especially for youngsters, if the plans of having a ‘home’ series against Australia in England due to security concerns go ahead. While the PCB has been in discussions with their Australian and English counterparts, Younis is already looking ahead to receiving good support from the ‘passionate’ Pakistan fans based in England.
‘Playing in Pakistan is more important than playing anywhere else. However, with the current situation, playing in England, especially county and Test cricket is everybody’s dream.
‘I was particularly excited when I was playing my first Test here at Lord’s. So I think it’s a good decision [playing Test series against Australia] since we have terrific support all over England. It will also allow our supporters to see their team in action especially with no team willing to visit Pakistan now.’
For now, following the warm-ups matches against South Africa and India, Pakistan kick off their campaign against hosts England on Sunday before taking on the Netherlands two days later.
A place in the semi-final is the least Younis wants to achieve in the tournament as he hopes to take back something for the fans to cheer about, especially with the current state of affairs in Pakistan.
‘We have good, experienced players and I see no reason for us not to feature in the last four at least. Obviously I’d love to be holding the trophy at the end of the tournament as it will help bring Pakistan back on the world cricket stage.
‘It will also give our public something to cheer about at home, especially with the absence of international cricket they may witness at home in the coming months,’ Younis concluded.
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper Jun 1, 2009
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