September 26, 2006	Tuesday	Ramazan 2, 1427

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LAHORE, Sept 25: Fast bowler Mohammad Asif who is likely to spearhead the attack alongwith Shoaib Akhtar in the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy, said on Monday that Pakistan were a well-balanced outfit for the prestigious one-day contest and were quite capable of winning the Trophy which begins in India from Oct 7.

Talking to reporters prior to his departure for India with the Sialkot team for the regional four-day championship match against Uttar Pradesh this week, Asif said Pakistan was blessed with a fine combination of fast bowlers and batsmen and were among the top one-day sides in the world.

Replying to question regarding his own fitness for the tour, Asif said he had fully recovered from the elbow injury which dogged him in the recently-concluded England series.

"I did not feel any pain in my elbow while bowling in the England one-dayers and that has given me a lot of confidence.

“I am really looking forward to having a good ICC tournament next month,” he said.

Talking about Sialkot’s regional contest against Uttar Pradesh which commences on Sept 27, Asif said it would be great “to assess their (India’s) local conditions before the crucial ICC event.”

Commenting on Pakistan’s ordinary show on the England tour, Asif said injuries to key players was the basic reason behind Pakistan's defeat in the Test series.

The match between Sialkot and Uttar Pradesh is the first of its kind between the two countries.

Sialkot are the winners of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy while Uttar Pradesh are the holders of the Ranji Trophy.