Ponting omission dismays Younus

Younus Khan knows that Australia will be difficult to beat, even without Ponting

Pakistan captain Younus Khan said he was disappointed with Cricket Australia’s decision to rest key players for the one-day and Twenty20 series against his team in the United Arab Emirates.

Australia’s selectors left out captain Ricky Ponting, top-order batsman Michael Hussey and left-arm bowler Mitchell Johnson from the team that will play five one-dayers and a Twenty20 international against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Selectors believed the three needed rest ahead of the Ashes series against England and the World Twenty20 in June.

“When you play against the top players like Ponting, you learn many different things,” Younus said.

“Ponting is a brilliant captain, Hussey is a stubborn batsman and Johnson has developed into a world-class bowler whose every delivery is near the 140 kph mark.

“It’s disappointing not to be playing against them.”

Despite the absence of Ponting, Hussey and Johnson, Younus believed Australia would still be hard to beat.

Younus said the series would be a learning experience for his young Pakistan side which has been starved of international cricket due to security concerns in Pakistan.

“It is a great opportunity and a learning experience for our youngsters,” Younus said.

Shoaib Akhtar and Younus tussle in training in Lahore

“In terms of results, I do not expect much, but I’d expect my players to play to full potential. Perhaps, if the players raise their game slightly, we would have better results.”

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam said he was happy fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was back in the side.

Akhtar was dropped from the team after dismal performances in two one-day internationals against Sri Lanka at home in January.

He was left out of the Test series against Sri Lanka due to a knee injury, but was passed fit for the series.

“A fit Shoaib Akhtar is a great addition to our team,” Intikhab said.

“He adds more firepower to our bowling attack and I’m happy that he is back.”

Alam, who reviewed the conditions of the pitches at the two venues said he was pleased with their quality.

“The wickets have been prepared keeping in mind our strengths,” he said.

“I think they would be good for batting and would not offer as much bounce as pitches in Australia and South Africa do.

“It will be interesting to see how Australia adapt to the conditions.”