KARACHI: Pakistan cricket coach Geoff Lawson believes that the battle in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup was open and no team was favourite to win the trophy in South Africa next month.
Lawson also said any team, which wished to win the tournament would have to excel in all departments of the game.
"Since this is the first time the Twenty20 World Cup is being organised, it is premature to nominate any team as a favourite to win the title. As far as Pakistan is concerned the guys have worked hard and I have passed on some winning tips to them," he said.
"I am hopeful that the Pakistani players will not disappoint their countrymen in the coming tournament," the Australian added.
Lawson said Pakistan's pace department was pretty strong and balanced with the presence of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul and he also expected a good show from flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi.
"He is a very talented player and it is natural to have high hopes from him as the format of the game was suited to his style of play," he said.
Lawson also justified the hard training of the players in the scorching weather of Lahore and said it was necessary to build up the physical resilience and mental toughness of the players.
"It is good we are preparing in such hot conditions. Winning comes from the mind and when you are mentally strong than you can adjust in any condition," he said.
Lawson, who has Australian accent, has also started to learn some important Urdu words to communicate better with the players.
Having joined the Pakistan team just a week ago, Lawson has already started spelling out words like 'Inshallah', 'Shukriya' and 'Mehnat Karo'.
Pakistan's batting coach Haroon Rasheed said the Australian had started to settle down well with the players.
"It took a couple of days for the players to get used to his way of speaking but they are more comfortable now with him. He keeps to himself after the practice sessions but is available for discussions with any player at any time of the day," Rasheed said.
