ISLAMABAD: Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq considers batsman Younis Khan was an asset to the team and said that his exclusion from the Asia Cup squad was a decision taken by the management.
Misbah said as far as Younis Khan's exclusion from the Asia Cup squad is concerned, there are a few things to consider. "This is a decision taken by the management keeping in mind the overall balance of the squad. In recent times, we feel that we have had a settled batting order. Mohammad Hafeez has been playing well at number 3 position and then you also have Sohaib Maqsood doing well at 4. Also, we have Ahmed Shehzad playing superbly as an opener and Sharjeel Khan who has come in recently," he told Pakpassion.net.
Misbah who was appointed Pakistan Test captain in October 2010 and took over the one-day captaincy seven months later, said our objective was to continue with the same combination in the Asia Cup. "Younis was always part of our setup and we will call upon him whenever we need him, whether it's in the World Cup 2015 or in any of the series before that," he said.
Talking about the non-participation of Pakistani players in the IPL, Misbah said you get to learn a lot from IPL experience by playing with international players.
"But, we don't need to worry too much about it if we don't have the opportunity to play in the IPL. The key thing for me is to concentrate on international cricket that you are playing and to improve yourself using the opportunities you are given," he said.
Misbah, who in 2012, became only the second Pakistani captain to lift the Asia Cup, after Moin Khan, said he sees no reason why Pakistan cannot win the ICC World Cup in 2015. "The Pakistan team has always been one that can achieve any goal. The current team has been performing excellently in the recent past where we have won against South Africa and India. Our younger players are maturing into experienced players with our bowling line-up doing a fantastic job," he said.
Misbah said our batting, especially the top order is starting to work very well. "Ahmed Shehzad has made a big difference and then you also have the likes of Sohaib Maqsood who is scoring well too," he added.
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