Akhtar's absence not felt during T20 Championship: Alam

London, June 21 (ANI): Joyous over his team's brilliant performance in the ICC World Twenty 20 Championship, which saw Pakistan sealing a place in the final of the mega-event for the second consecutive time, coach Intikhab Alam has said that the Pakistan team has not been affected by the absence of pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar.

Commending the performance of some of the younger players in the team, Alam said his team has hardly faced any difficulty due to Akhtar's absence.

"I don't think his (Akhtar's) absence is felt on this tour. Our bowlers have done exceptionally well so far. I have special mention for Umar Gul. He has been doing exceedingly well and how can we for get the new sensation Mohammad Aamir. Can you imagine the 17-year-old bowler bowling final over in the Semi Final match ? said Alam.

When asked about the sudden change in Pakistan's fortune and performance after being at the sidelines of the international cricket for long, Alam said all the players know their duty in the team and have been performing to their potential.

"The players have realised the high value of self-belief. They have been playing to their potential and the players have clicked at the right time," The Nation quoted Alam, as saying.

Alam said the morale of the team was very high after reaching the final of the tournament, and the players were eagerly waiting for penultimate match.

"The team is over the moon and we were ready to face any team in the final," he said . (ANI)