KARACHI: Pakistan captain Younis Khan has said that he will accept full responsibility if the Pakistani side loses Test series against Sri Lanka.

Addressing a news conference at National Stadium here on Friday, Younis said the outcome of Pak-Sri Lanka Test series would decide the future of his captaincy. He said that players would be advised to support the team.

Responding to a question about Shoaib Malik, the Pakistani skipper said there was a marked improvement in his performance and he was a good batsman.

He also announced a 12-member Pakistan squad for the first test match against Sri Lanka. The 12 players selected for the match which begins on Saturday includes opener Khurrum Manzoor and pace bowlers Sohail Khan and Mohammad Talha, untried at test level.

"We wanted a lively and sporting pitch for the match and the bowling is our strength," Younis said. "So we have picked five specialist bowlers in our 12."

Younis is leading Pakistan in his first full test series after replacing Shoaib Malik as captain last month after Pakistan lost a home one-day series to Sri Lanka.