Coach Intikhab Alam restrained from predicting Pakistan’s prospect in the ICC Champions Trophy, but admitted that India and Australia are going to be the biggest threats for Younis Khan’s men.
“I would not like to make any claim or prediction because there is nothing much to separate the eight teams taking part in the tournament,” Alam said today.
“I can say this much we are perfectly capable of winning the title like we did the Twenty20 World Cup in England. But our first priority should simply be to focus on winning group matches and qualifying for the semi-final,” he said.
Alam, who is also a former cricketer, pointed out that Pakistan has been handed a tough pool in the eight-nation tournament commencing in South Africa from September 22.
“India has a dangerous ODI side with a winning mentality and they have quality players as well. Australia is the world champion, but yes, losing the Ashes would surely have some impact on them during the tournament,” he said.
Alam feels that Champions Trophy would be a difficult task for the Pakistan cricketers as well.
“They (supporters) always have too much expectations from the team and people tend to forget that other teams are also playing to win. But only what I can say is if we play to our full potential and have some luck, we are capable of winning the tournament,” he said.
