'Please come and play in Pakistan now'

Pakistan captain Younis Khan on Sunday made a desperate plea to all the cricketing nations to resume tours to his country and stressed that cricket should be kept away from politics.

"Since we are the Twenty20 champions, I hope we will play some home series now. I am requesting all the teams to come to Pakistan. Everybody knows that the law and order is situation is not good but this is not our fault," Younis said at Lord's on Sunday after winning the ICC World Twenty20 final against Sri Lanka.

Several teams including India have refused to travel to the troubled country, which has been hit by a spate of terror attacks in the last few years.

In March, terrorist attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team, who were on their way to Gaddafi stadium in Lahore, following which the 2011 World Cup matches were also shifted from the country.

"I hope that they [terrorists] listen to me and work for peace. We have seen this is a big problem in countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. I think this should not happen because it affects sports," Younis said.

He feels India and Pakistan rivalry is necessary for the growth of cricket in those two countries and asked administrators

"India and Pakistan should play each other because a lot of motivation from those games. They learn to cope with pressure as well and the players make good name if they perform well, so sports does not need politics."

The Pakistan captain is hoping that the World Cup victory will inspire a change of scenario in his country, which is witnessing a lot of internal conflicts.

"It is a good feeling because we knew that the whole of Pakistan needed this win. There is every problem with everything in Pakistan and we tried to bring about a change. When you win a big tournament like the World Cup then it definitely brings about a change. I always used to dream that when I finish my career that people remember like Imran Khan for winning a World Cup," he said.

Younis believes that playing cricket at home will help groom youngsters.

"We need to play home series to groom youngsters and if there is no cricket in Pakistan how can we motivate youngsters at school level and college level. There is a message from me and my team to everyone to please come and play in Pakistan. I am proud of my nation and this victory will be good for all of us."