October 15, 2006	Sunday	Ramazan 21, 1427

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

LAHORE, Oct 14: Former Test opener Aamir Sohail said on Saturday that the ICC Champions Trophy would be the real test of Younis Khan's captaincy as he will be leading the team for the first time in a complete event.

"The prowess of Younis as captain will be tested in the Champions Trophy. He has earlier been leading the team in one or two matches under the shadow of Inzamam but this is his first full assignment," said Aamir while conducting Lahore Region trials for the forthcoming Quaid-i-Azam Trophy.

Younis was appointed captain in place of Inzamam-ul-Haq who is facing a four ODI ban imposed by the ICC for bringing the game into disrepute at The Oval Test in August. The ICC Champions Trophy starts in India from Sunday.

Aamir, a former chief selector, said Pakistan was capable of winning the mega event, even without Inzamam, provided they adopted correct planning and avoided experiments.

"The team lacks a regular opening pair but I believe the team management will again go for a non-regular opener in the trophy which is not an ideal situation," he said.

"The non-regular opener, possibly Shoaib Malik, may still do well in India due to the easy batting tracks there but on fast pitches he is unlikely to perform," he said.

Aamir rated the Australians as the best team in the tournament and said they had the ability to adjust in any sort of conditions. He added that Sri Lanka was also in good form and could prove a threat for Pakistan in the opening match on Oct 17.

"Pakistan should play against Sri Lanka with a lot of mental toughness as their current form shows that they are very well prepared for the event" he said.