South Africa experience will help during Champions Trophy, says Misbah

Karachi: Pakistan Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul Haq has set his sight on winning the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, saying that the South Africa tour was good preparation for the team ahead of the eight-nation tournament.

Stating that the aim of his team is to win the Champions Trophy, Misbah added that the recent tour of South Africa will play a significant role in the team`s preparation for the event, to be held in England in June, even more than the domestic President`s Cup tournament. According to Misbah, playing the domestic tournament in their home conditions might be helpful but not crucial to winning the Champions Trophy, adding that the experience of playing in tough conditions in South Africa will serve them better for the event. Hoping that his team will get English-type conditions at the training camp in Abbottabad, Misbah said that the camp will play an important part in their preparations for the Champions Trophy, adding that it is not possible to have such conditions in Karachi or Lahore weather. Meanwhile, the right-handed batsman, who silenced critics by playing crucial knocks in South Africa, was optimistic about his performance in England, saying that his performance has been greatly helped by the fact that he had stopped taking pressure. Misbah also said that former captain Younis Khan, who was dropped from the preliminary squad of the Champions Trophy, has not been discarded, adding that Khan has vast experience and he may be considered in the future like any other player on the basis of performance. ANI