Malik thanks Indian Govt. for providing adequate security

Satisfied with the safety provided by the Indian Government for the World T20, Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik on Sunday admitted that he is honoured to be here and by the love he has received from the people of the country.

Ahead of his side's warm-up clash against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens on Monday, Malik admitted that he had never faced any security concern in India.

"I would like to thank the Indian Government. The security is very good. My wife (Sania Mirza) is from India. I come to India a lot but I never had any security. I never see any difference between Pakistani people and the Indian People. I am very happy to be in India, I always got a lot of love. I am honoured to be in India," the 34-year-old told the media here.

Malik further insisted that his side were working on their technique, adding that he hopes that the World T20 would bring the side back on track.

Admitting that Pakistan were a bit behind than other teams as far as T20 format is concerned, Malik believes that the prestigious ICC event could turn out to be a learning curve for his young side.

"If you look at AB de Villiers, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dhawan, Raina, since they have started playing IPL .you could figure it out there game have improved a big time. PSL is going to give us the same thing. Yes, we are little bit behind if you talk about shorter version. I would say little bit of in ODI as well. But fact of the matter is we have lots of youngsters and they are learning," said Malik.

"I think this is a great opportunity for all of us to perform well and bring Pakistan where the rest of the world is," he added.

The Afridi-led side arrived to a warm welcome here yesterday after they got a nod from Pakistan Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan following the security assurance from the concerned authorities in India and the ICC.

The ICC has moved Pakistan's group match against India to Kolkata on March 19 due to security concerns in Dharamsala.