Younus: 'Teams must visit Pakistan'

Following their triumphant victory in the Twenty20 World Cup, Pakistan captain Younus Khan made an emotional appeal for teams to visit his troubled nation.

Pakistan did not play a single Test last year and lost the games they were due to host at the 2011 50-over World Cup after armed militants attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore last March.

International matches for the foreseeable future will be staged either in the host countries or at neutral venues.

Pakistan lifted the trophy after a spectacular unbeaten 54 from all-rounder Shahid Afridi took Pakistan to an untroubled eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka on a sun-drenched evening before thousands of exultant supporters.

Gift for the nation

"I think it was a gift for all our nation," Younus, draped in the Pakistan flag, told a news conference.

"Everybody must come to Pakistan, we need a home Test series.

"How can we attract the youngsters? Players must come to Pakistan."

At the start of the tournament few gave Pakistan a chance after a side desperately short of match practice were beaten in their warm-up matches and by England in their opening match.

Afridi, with his explosive batting and brisk leg-spin, was the crucial player in the semi-final win over South Africa and again on Sunday.

Younus's batting throughout, although he was not required on Sunday, and the skills of pace bowler Umar Gul who took a Twenty20 best five for six against New Zealand were also critical to Pakistan's ultimate success.

Their progress throughout the 16-day tournament mirrored that of the 1992 50-over World Cup winners, who were on the brink of elimination before captain Imran Khan famously urged them to fight "as if you were a cornered tiger".

'Second Khan'

"I'm the second Khan," said Younus, who dedicated the win to former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer.

The 58-year-old Englishman died in his hotel room in Jamaica during the 2007 50-over World Cup.

Younus, who said he was now retiring from Twenty20 cricket, paid tribute to Afridi and Abdul Razzaq, who returned to international cricket as an injury replacement after a two-year stint in the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Razzaq took three wickets in his first three overs of controlled pace to help reduce Sri Lanka to 34 for four after the first six overs. Tillakaratne Dilshan had departed in the opening over for a fifth-ball duck.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, one of six Sri Lankan players injured in the Lahore assault, kept his team competitive with 64 not out in Sri Lanka's 138 for six, a total he estimated was about 20 runs too few.

Throughout the tournament he captained and batted with imagination and intelligence in a thoroughly enjoyable competition which highlighted traditional skills enhanced by the pressures of Twenty20 cricket, a stream of innovations and brilliantly athletic fielding.

Best sides

The final was contested by the two best sides. Dilshan, the man-of-the-tournament, was the most imaginative batsman.

The bowlers who prospered were those with the most variety and tightest control, notably South African left-arm pace bowler Wayne Parnell, Gul and the splendid Sri Lankan trio, pace man Lasith Malinga and spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis.

The future of the Twenty20 World Cup is now assured and, although all players stress the importance of Test matches, most would welcome a reduction in the number of meaningless 50-over competitions.

"I think Twenty20 cricket should enhance Test cricket," said Sangakkara.

"There's been a lot of talk about Test cricket not making enough TV revenue but I think we can balance Twenty20 cricket and one-day cricket and inject some of that into maintaining Test cricket.

"I think every single player will admit that Test cricket is the real test. If you are a good cricketer you can play any form of the game in any conditions."