Pakistan's captain Younis Khan sought to put aside talk of revenge from their loss in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final to New Zealand, saying his team were focussing on their game.
"It's not a revenge series but all the players have it in their minds to beat New Zealand," he said. "In sport, there is no revenge but we will not forget that [Champions Trophy] loss. It's not going to be easy beating New Zealand. They are a closely-knit team, they play as a unit and they did very well in the Champions Trophy.
"Moreover, since it's a neutral venue the conditions will be similar for both sides, so there will be no advantage or disadvantage for any team. It's important we play as a team."
It has been a whirlwind month for Younis, who resigned from the captaincy against suspicions of match-fixing raised in the aftermath of that semi-final loss to New Zealand and murmurs about factions in the team and management. He initially said he was keen to stop what, according to him, was a flawed search for answers every time the side failed to win, but subsequently he resumed the captaincy.
Shahid Afridi, the vice-captain, recently quashed rumours about an ongoing rift with Younis, and the captain again found himself doing the same. "This team is not anyone's personal property and we are all playing for one country," Younis said. "Our aim is common, and that is to ensure victory for Pakistan."
After the limited-overs series in the UAE Pakistan move to New Zealand for three Tests, after which they head across the Tasman to Australia for three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20.
