Younus urges teams to visit troubled Pakistan

By John Mehaffey

LONDON (Reuters) - Pakistan captain Younus Khan made an emotional appeal on Sunday for teams to visit his troubled nation after lifting the Twenty20 World Cup at Lord's.

A spectacular unbeaten 54 from all-rounder Shahid Afridi took Pakistan to an untroubled eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka on a sun-drenched evening before thousands of exultant supporters.

Pakistan did not play a single test last year and lost the games they were due to host at the 2011 50-over World Cup after armed militants attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore last March.

International matches for the foreseeable future will be staged either in the host countries or at neutral venues.

"I think it was a gift for all our nation," Younus, draped in the Pakistan flag, told a news conference. "Everybody must come to Pakistan, we need a home test series. How can we attract the youngsters? Players must come to Pakistan."

At the start of the tournament few gave Pakistan a chance after a side desperately short of match practice were beaten in their warm-up matches and by England in their opening match.

Afridi, with his explosive batting and brisk leg-spin, was the crucial player in the semi-final win over South Africa and again on Sunday.

Younus's batting throughout, although he was not required on Sunday, and the skills of pace bowler Umar Gul who took a Twenty20 best five for six against New Zealand were also critical to Pakistan's ultimate success.