Younus not out for revenge

Younus Khan, whose side lost their ICC Champions Trophy semi-final to New Zealand, is focusing on the series ahead

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Pakistan captain Younus Khan is not looking to avenge his side’s ICC Champions Trophy semi-final defeat to New Zealand when they face the Black Caps in a three-match one-day series in Abu Dhabi, which gets under way tomorrow.

New Zealand upset Pakistan in South Africa a month ago, a reverse which sparked accusations of match-fixing and fuelled reports of instability and infighting in the Pakistan team.

Younus then offered to quit the captaincy, but the Pakistan Cricket Board refused to accept his resignation and instead decided to keep him at the helm until the 2011 World Cup on the subcontinent.

Overwhelmed with the support from the board and his countrymen, Younus is now hoping to shift focus back onto the field in a series which was moved out of Pakistan due to the security situation in the Asian country.

“It’s not a revenge series, but all the players have it in their minds to beat New Zealand,” Younus said.

“In sport, there is no revenge but we will not forget that (Champions Trophy) loss.

“It’s not going to be easy beating New Zealand. They are a closely-knit team, they play as a unit and they did very well in the Champions Trophy.

“Moreover, since it’s a neutral venue the conditions will be similar for both sides, so there will be no advantage or disadvantage for any team.

“It’s important that we play as a team,” he said.

Younus has also denied reports of rifts in the team, especially between him and his deputy Shahid Afridi.

“This team is not anyone’s personal property and we are all playing for one country,” he said.

“Our aim is common, and that is to ensure victory for Pakistan.”

“Our aim is common, and that is to ensure victory,” said Younus over reports of a rift with deputy Shahid Afridi

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Although they will be without batsman Misbah-ul Haq and fast bowler Mohammed Asif, Pakistan have a fairly settled and strong line-up.

They have the added advantage of already having experienced conditions in the desert country, having ‘hosted’ Australia in a limited-overs series here in May.

New Zealand have had their fair share of troubles since their defeat to Australia in the final of the Champions Trophy.

Less than a fortnight ago, coach Andy Moles prematurely ended his contract with New Zealand Cricket after it emerged some senior players were unhappy with his lack of technical and tactical support.

NZC were left with little time to appoint even an interim coach which leaves New Zealand without a coach for the series and a heavy responsibility on captain Daniel Vettori.

“There has been no real talk about the change in structure at all or even about who is going to be the next coach,” Vettori said.

“I think the guys are looking firstly to cement their places in the team and win games rather than worry about anything else.

“People still expect us to win and there’s no reason why we cannot.

“That's the mindset we need to have and every single person in the squad has to pick up a little bit of the slack.”

New Zealand will be without opener Jesse Ryder, middle-order batsman Grant Elliott and seam bowler Daryl Tuffey, all sidelined with injuries.

Tim Southee is expected to complete a seam attack comprising Kyle Mills and Shane Bond, while Vettori indicated he would play another spinner alongside himself.

“There will have to be a drastic change in what we expect of the wicket for us to change our minds,” Vettori added.