By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan captain Younis Khan has warned the country’s fans against raising their hopes ahead of the One-day series against world champions Australia, saying that any expectations can put his young team under extra pressure.
Younis, who took over as Pakistan captain last month after Shoaib Malik stepped down following the One-day series defeat against Sri Lanka, said that he is not expecting any miracles from his team against Australia.
“Our target is to give our best,” he said. “There should not be high expectations from my team which will need time to settle down,” he added.
Pakistan will play Australia in five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 game in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from April 22-March 7. The series was supposed to take place in Pakistan but was later shifted to the UAE after the Australians refused to tour Pakistan because of security apprehensions.
Younis said that beating Australia would be a tough task. “The Australians are really good in all departments of the game, something that they have proved by bouncing back from a home defeat to outplay South Africa in South Africa,” said Younis referring to Australia’s series-winning triumph in the ongoing tour of South Africa.
“I believe senior players like myself, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq and Salman Butt are there to take the pressure. The younger boys should not be exposed to it because that can affect their performance.”