New Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik Wednesday denied he would be nervous as he tries to rebuild his beleaguered side after a disastrous World Cup. Malik spoke ahead of Pakistan's departure on Wednesday night for Abu Dhabi for a three-match one-day international series against Sri Lanka, the beaten finalists in the tournament in the Caribbean.
"I am not nervous at all," Malik told AFP. "I know the season ahead is difficult but I will live up to the confidence placed in me by the Pakistan Cricket Board and the fans." "I am confident that all the players will work hard to put the team back on a winning track and forget what happened in the World Cup," added Malik, who has played 18 Tests and 137 one-dayers.
The games against Sri Lanka on May 18, 20 and 22 are Pakistan's first assignment since crashing out in the first round of the World Cup in March after losing to minnows Ireland. "Whatever happened in the past is now past and the best thing about this current team is that all the senior players are very co-operative and once we win the morale of the team will go up," he said.
Malik admitted that Pakistan would have to be on top form to win against Sri Lanka, who lost to Australia in a farcical World Cup final. "Sri Lanka are a formidable team and even without (Muthiah) Muralitharan, (Chaminda) Vaas and (Kumar) Sangakkara (all not in Sri Lanka team due to their county commitments) we will have to be at our best to beat them," he said.