Coach says Pakistan hot favourite

LAHORE - Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam sees Pakistan winning its first ever ICC Champions Trophy title this year. He believes that his team is one of the top favourites to clinch the title it ever won and win here would complete the closet with all the grand slam trophies. The Champions Trophy is scheduled in South Africa in September and Pakistan will play its opening match against the West Indies. The event was supposed to be held in Pakistan last year but security reservations of the participating teams compelled the parent body to shift the trophy from Pakistan and it is now being held in South Africa. Despite the disastrous tour of Sri Lanka, Alam said the momentum is with Pakistan. "We lost the Test and one-day series in Sri Lanka but won the last three games of the tour. Those results were very important and now the momentum is with us ahead of the Champions Trophy," said Alam. However, Alam admitted that Pakistan would have to play really well to succeed in the eight-nation tournament, in which it shares the group with India and Australia.

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