Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net from Lahore, former National Cricket Academy Director Aamer Sohail stated that he was confused by statements coming out of the Pakistan camp that medium fast bowler Mohammad Asif may not be risked in the Champions Trophy.

"I'm rather puzzled by comments from certain quarters saying that Asif's selection was a long term plan and that he may not play in the Champions Trophy. As far as I am concerned, he is Pakistan's best bowler with the new ball and has to play in the Champions Trophy", stated Sohail.

Asif's suspension ends on September 22, the day before Pakistan begin their Champions Trophy campaign against West Indies in Johannesburg and both Younus Khan and Inthikab Alam have been hinting that Asif may be used as a backup in the Champions Trophy, rather than one of the first choice seamers.

Sohail added "With all due respect, Pakistan's first match is against the weakest team in the group, West Indies and that could be the perfect opportunity for Asif to gain some form and confidence and get him prepared for the 2 remaining crunch games. It would be a huge mistake giving Asif his comeback match against either India or Australia".

Sohail who has recently been critical of the PCB for its out-of-court settlement with the ICC over the staging of the 2011 World Cup, further added "If Pakistan play with a well-planned strategy, they could do very well in South Africa. Looking through the squad, they have the talent and the resources. I feel that the batting will be the key for Pakistan and the batsman need to back up their bowlers, with good partnerships and responsible batting".

Sohail who was a key member of the 1992 World Cup winning squad continued "The skipper needs to utilise his bowlers intelligently and I feel that Umar Gul needs to be used as the attacking option with the new ball".

When asked what he thought of the selectors opting for only one recognised opener in the squad, Sohail stated "The squad is packed with too many middle order batsmen which has been a problem for many years. When I try and work out what the starting lineup will be, I can only assume that either Kamran Akmal or Malik will be the opening partner with Imran Nazir, which is not an ideal situation. For a tournament like this, the long term strategy should have been to develop another specialist opening batsman".

Javed Miandad who has been putting the squad through their paces in the training camp in Karachi has asked the groundsman at Karachi to prepare green wickets, but Sohail doesnt agree with this strategy. Sohail stated "Pakistan's games against the key opponents in the group, India and Australia are at Centurion and that is certainly not a green top, in fact I would say its a fantastic batting track, so the green wicket strategy is a strange one".