JOIN USYounis picks Windies as dark horse
The top-order batsman felt despite their recent poor performance against England, West Indies remain a dangerous customer in the shortest format of the game.
“India and South Africa are good and capable of winning the cup alongside Pakistan but the West Indians can spring a few surprises,” said Younis.
He said last edition’s runners-up Pakistan possess the necessary talent and experience to go the distance this time. “But in T20 cricket or for that matter in any other form of the game it is how you play on a particular day and how consistent you can be in your performances,” he said.
The senior pro also ruled out lack of international exposure for Pakistan players as a deterrent. “Our players are well versed in T20 cricket and that is why I am confident that if we play to our full ability and as a team we can definitely win the cup but we have to be on our feet all the time,” he said.
The skipper is banking on left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir to fire in the biennial event.
“He showed us in the last T20 World Cup and then in the Indian Premier League that he is a fantastic performer in this format of the game.
“But in recent times he has not been focusing on his game but now after a hard talk he has become focused again and I am sure he will be one of the stars of the tournament,” said the senior batsman, who feels the presence of Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik make Pakistan a formidable unit.
He also expected tall scores in the World Cup since playing conditions in England during this time of the year would be ideal for batsmen. “It becomes easier to bat in English conditions in June and I think we will see some tall scores in the tournament because the grounds are also small in England. But it will be difficult to defend anything around 150 you need more runs,” said the captain.