August 25, 2007	Saturday	Sha’aban 11, 1428

LAHORE, Aug 24: Vice-captain and opening batsman Salman Butt has praised the aggressive approach of new coach Geoff Lawson and feels that it would hopefully yield results in the first Twenty20 World Championship to be held in South Africa from Sept 11.

Speaking to the reporters at the end of day’s training at Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, the left-handed opener said Lawson’s strategy to revive killer instinct in a young team could be a key factor in Pakistan’s progress.

“Learning the finer points of the game from Lawson, the boys are looking committed towards showing some good results in future games,” said Salman.

According to Salman, the tough training at the camp could go a long way in making the players physically and mentally strong for the upcoming challenges.

“Lawson believes in hard training which requires total physical fitness and things are going according to plan,” he said.

Avoiding predictions about the Twenty20 World Championship, Salman said, “I can’t make any claims about the mega event right now. It is a new type of cricket and our team has only played three such international matches. Yet I believe in our boys’ talent. They are capable of beating any side.”

Commenting on the Twenty20 format, Salman said he saw no major difference in nature and technique between the One-day Internationals and the Twenty20.

“You can’t hit every ball in a Twenty20 match. In the ODIs, you have to stay at the pitch to avoid the quick fall of wickets. The same is the case with Twenty20.

“There have been matches where by losing too many wickets in a short span, teams has failed to complete their quota of overs.”

Talking about his vice captaincy, Salman said there was no added pressure on him and he was enjoying the job.

Meanwhile, senior middle-order Younis Khan joined the training camp on Friday. He will resume full training from Saturday, the second last day of the camp.

The day’s events also included a tree plantation campaign by the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA).

Team captain Shoaib Malik planted a sapling at the Nishtar Park, in front of the Gaddafi Stadium.

The entire team, along with the Pakistan Cricket Board officials, namely Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi, team manager Talat Ali Malik, selector Shafqat Rana were also present on the occasion.