Pakistan captain Waqar Younis says his side are eager to win the Sharjah tournament to launch their World Cup preparations. "Although there is still time and much cricket to be played before next year's World Cup I hope we can win this tri-series to open our campaign," Younis told AFP.

Pakistan's 16-man squad leaves for Sharjah on Friday night for a series that also includes Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

"Both New Zealand and Sri Lanka are competitive teams and will give us ideal competitive cricket but I have confidence in my team and hope to achieve the best possible result," Younis said.

Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq are back in the squad after being left out of the Asian Test championship final in Lahore last month.

Pakistan will play as many as 31 one-day internationals in the lead up to next February's World Cup in South Africa, including two indoor limited-over matches in Australia in June.

"These matches will give us a chance to rotate players and try them before the World Cup because some of our key players will also play county cricket in England," the Pakistan captain said.

Pakistan face problems at the top of the order with Saeed Anwar sidelined due to a wrist injury.

Imran Nazir was recalled for the Sharjah series along with middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq who could also open the innings with allrounder Shahid Afridi.

"We are trying various combinations and hopefully we'll get a pair (of openers) before we announce a pool of players for the World Cup," Younis said.

Pakistan also host New Zealand for three one-day internationals and two Tests this month, a series postponed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in the United States.

Pakistan also plan to host Australia and New Zealand for a tri-series in August and September.

Squad Waqar Younis (capt), Inzamam-ul Haq, Imran Nazir, Shahid Afridi, Misbahul Haq, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Abdur Razzaq, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shoaib Malik, Azhar Mahmood, Rashid Latif, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami and Faisal Iqbal.

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