Pakistan says don't write us off by AFP

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Player:	Younis Khan
Event:	England in Pakistan 2005/06

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DateLine: 11th November 2005

 

Pakistan's vice-captain and batting lynchpin Younis Khan warned England not to underestimate his side in the three-match Test series starting in Multan from Saturday.

 

"Don't write us off, our team is not weak," Khan told reporters after the home team's net session on Friday.

 

Khan said England's Ashes win over Australia this summer would count for little in Pakistan.

 

"The Ashes was different. It had a different environment. It's just like we have a cricketing rivalry with India, but playing on Pakistani pitches will be different for England," Khan added.

 

England start as favourites for the series, despite losing captain Michael Vaughan for the first Test to a knee injury and performing poorly in their two warm-up games in Pakistan.

 

The tourists are on a roll after the Ashes -- their sixth successive series win under Vaughan -- and hope to continue with replacement skipper Marcus Trescothick.

 

But Khan said Pakistan had already proved cricket pundits wrong once this year and aimed to do so again.

 

"Everyone wrote us off when we went to India and the West Indies, but we levelled both the Test series and we have matured as a side," said Khan, whose double hundred led Pakistan to series-drawing win at Bangalore, India.

 

England have only ever won two Tests in Pakistan since their first tour here in 1961-2, the last being in 2000. Pakistan have a poor home record, losing six out of their nine home series.

 

The 29-year-old said the underdog tag would help Pakistan.

 

"It will ease the pressure for us, especially since we are more used to home pitches," added Khan, who has scored 2,765 runs in 37 Tests.

 

Khan said England would rue the loss of quick Simon Jones, ruled out of the tour by an ankle injury after a heroic Ashes performance.

 

"Jones knows how to reverse swing the cricket ball on dry pitches like we have in Pakistan and England will surely miss him," said Khan, who has scored 2765 runs in 37 Tests.

(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)