Playing without Shoaib-Asif was tough, admits Younis Khan

Jaipur, Oct 18 (UNI) Playing without Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, withdrawn from ICC Champions Trophy for failing dope tests, was not enough but Pakistan played as a close-knit team to beat Sri Lanka by four wickets, said victorious captain Younis Khan.

Visibly elated as his team overcame the odds and beat Lanka in their tournament opener, Younis said, ''We played like a team and the win was a team effort. And if we can continue to play like this, we would easily make it to the semifinals.'' Happy with the performance of the team, Younis said, ''Mohd Yousuf, myself and Abdul Razzaq are senior members of the team and they played well. There was strict instructions for Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal to play according to the situation and they did just that.

''We are a Muslim team, we kept roza and it's by Allah's grace that we won the match,'' he said.

''Mind you, conditions were quite tough but in the end, we pulled it off,'' he said with a sense of satisfaction.

Younis admitted he missed the pace duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, especially in the first 10 overs when Lankan openers Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya threatened to go berserk.

''It was not easy to play with Shoaib and Asif. But I think we came back in the match after the first 10 overs,'' he said.

Teh stand-in skipper also expressed his gratitude for Inzamam-ul Haq and Younis said he would pave way for the regular captain when he returns to the side.

''I'm not interested in captaincy. I love to play under him because I have learnt so much from him,'' he added.

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