Pakistan captain Younis Khan said any local Indian Cricket League player, who has been cleared by the board to play in the national team, is welcome in the side.
Pakistan captain Younis Khan said any local Indian Cricket League player, who has been cleared by the board to play in the national team, is welcome in the side.
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Amid reports that some of ICL's Pakistani recruits, including Mohammad Yusuf, are set to snap tie with the rebel league to revive his international career, Younis said he would welcome any such player provided they get the Pakistan Cricket Board's nod.
"Definitely some of them can comeback to the national team. They went to the ICL but they are our players and we need them if they are available," Younis said.
As Pakistan takes on Australia for a five-match ODI series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi later this month, Younis took a broad, long-term view of things and considered it the launch of the team's preparation for 2011 World Cup.
"Winning the series is important but more important is that I see this series as the launch of our preparations for the 2011 World Cup," Younis said. "The basic purpose is to start building up a combination and team for one-day internationals that can give 100 percent in the next World Cup and be in a strong position to win it," he said.
Pakistan is playing its series against Australia in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from April 22 after the Australians refused to tour Pakistan because of security concerns.
Younis said the team should do well in the coming five one-day internationals and Twenty20 game as the conditions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai were similar to that of Pakistan. "The pitches are also being prepared with soil from Pakistan," he pointed out.
"If we play positively and aggressively I am confident we can beat them. We have a good team but we need to remain confident of ourselves and stick to our plans. If we achieve 75 percent of what we plan we can produce good results from the series," he said.
Younis said the series was also important since it was the first for Pakistan since the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. "That incident shook our cricket set-up and our fans and that is why this series assumes so much importance. It is also important for Pakistan cricket to keep on pushing forward despite all the problems we are facing at the moment."
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