The 30-year-old was tipped favourite to lead the side, but his reputation suffered a blow when he was slapped with a two-match ban for tampering after being caught biting the ball during a match against Australia last month.

Afridi vowed to carry the team to victory after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced his appointment.

“I am very happy to be appointed captain and I will do my utmost to help Pakistan defend the World Twenty20 title,” he said.

Local media had reported that all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq were also in the running for the captaincy.

On March 10, the PCB handed bans and fines to seven top players including Afridi on disciplinary charges linked to their dire December-February tour of Australia. Pakistan lost all three Tests, five one-days and a Twenty20 match.

Afridi was fined three million rupees ($35,000) and put on six months probation for his “shameful act,” the PCB said at the time.

Two days after the decisions, the PCB announced a 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 but postponed naming a captain.

Afridi, player of the tournament in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007, has led Pakistan in three T20 matches, winning them all.

Pakistan won the second edition of the World Twenty20 in England last year, and is placed in Group A of the 12-team competition along with Australia and Bangladesh.

They face Bangladesh in the first match on May 1 and Australia the next day. The tournament will be held from April 30-May 16 in the West Indies.

“We are one match away and we will do our best to win,” said Younis after his team knocked out favourites South Africa in Thursday’s semi-final at Trent Bridge.

“We want to make people back home happy. Winning the title will mean a lot to them and that will inspire us in the final. One more game and the World Cup will be ours.”

Pakistan has become the pariah of world cricket after being shunned by foreign teams due to security concerns which forced the Champions Trophy and World Cup matches to be shifted out of the country.

Pakistan, runners-up to India in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa two years ago, will play either Sri Lanka or the West Indies in the final at Lord’s on Sunday.

Younis said it did not matter who Pakistan play in the final, but admitted he will keenly watch the second semi-final at the Oval on Friday.

“We will keep track of both Sri Lanka and the West Indies. They are tough sides but we are not worried who we play.

“We will just go out and put our best effort, like we did against South Africa.”

Pakistan rode on a brilliant all-round performance by Shahid Afridi to pip South Africa by seven runs and end the Proteas’ five-match winning streak in the tournament.

Afridi smashed 51 from 34 balls and then grabbed 2-16 with his leg-spin as Pakistan successfully defended 149-4 to restrict the favoured Proteas to 142-5 before a sell-out crowd at Trent Bridge.

“Afridi is the sort of player who wins games on his own,” said Younis. “He has done it here and I know he wants to repeat this in the final as well.”

Younis said the five-run defeat by India in the 2007 final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg still hurt, and he hoped the team will not make the same mistake again.

“We felt terrible after losing that one. You come so close and then it all goes away. Hopefully, we will do better this time.”

Pakistan bounced back twice over the last two weeks to keep their hopes alive.

Younis’ men lost their opening preliminary match against England, but then thrashed the Netherlands to advance to the Super Eights.

There was another defeat in the second round against Sri Lanka, but Pakistan came back strongly to defeat New Zealand in a key game before overpowering Ireland to make the semi-finals.

“We are slow starters, but we have shown through this tournament that we can match any other side on our day and will take a lot to beat us,” said Younis.

South Africa, overwhelming favourites after five straight wins in the tournament, were knocked out by Pakistan in a seven-run defeat in Thursday’s semi-final.

Shahid Afridi smashed 51 from 34 balls and then grabbed 2-16 with his leg-spin as Pakistan successfully defended 149-4 to restrict the Proteas to 142-5 before a sell-out crowd at Trent Bridge.

“Every time we lose an important game, that word, chokers, is thrown around,” a disappointed Smith said after the match.

“But we have played great cricket and I am proud of the way the guys have performed.

“During the last couple of years we have been on an upward curve and the team will improve and get stronger and stronger.”

South Africa have faltered in most major multi-nation tournaments like the World Cup and Champions Trophy despite being one of the leading sides in the modern game.

Smith said the semi-final loss hurt, but conceded Pakistan were the better team and deserved to win.

“It is obviously disappointing and sad to be leaving the tournament now,” he said.

“We have played some great cricket in this tournament and played some great cricket in the semi-final.

“But Pakistan brought their ‘A’ game to this match and every cog worked well for them.

“Afridi was the difference. His four overs brought Pakistan back into the game. We lost our way and never got back into it.

“I think we deserved to be in the final with the way we performed during this tournament, but that is not how it works. Pakistan played better than us.”

Pakistan, runners-up to India in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa two years ago, will play either Sri Lanka or the West Indies in Sunday’s final at Lord’s.

That victory, coupled with a seven-wicket defeat of hosts England earlier in the week, meant South Africa had won their opening two Super Eights matches.

The Proteas, who are within touching distance of the semi-finals, complete their second round programme against defending champions India at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

“I really believe we can win it,” said Smith after South Africa’s win over the West Indies at The Oval.

“But there is a long way to go, a lot of cricket to be played and a lot of good teams in this competition.

“It’s been a successful week but a tough one. We get an extra day now before we play India and I’m comfortable with where we are, you can’t argue with the performances or the results we have turned out in this competition so far.

“As a team we try to challenge ourselves. There are always things to improve but if we play our best and with our intensity, if we perform to our potential, then we will be difficult to beat.”

South Africa made 183 for seven, Herschelle Gibbs top-scoring with 55, before holding the West Indies to 163 for nine in an innings where teenage left-arm quick Wayne Parnell took four wickets for 13 runs.

“You really need to be on top of your game against the West Indies, especially here at the Oval where the conditions suit them,” explained Smith.

Parnell, 19, who took three wickets against England, said: “It’s still a batsman’s game but if you bowl well you can pick up wickets.

“I enjoy bowling at the death. I have developed my yorker in the last 10 months and I am adding other things to my game.”

India went down to a seven-wicket loss to the West Indies at Lord’s on Friday.

Before they play South Africa they face England on Sunday at Lord’s and Smith said of his team’s clash with the title-holders: “There is a lot of cricket in the group before that.

“India had not been really tested in the competition until Friday. I think they will have taken a lot of lessons from that.

“It was their first real competitive game so it going to be interesting to see how they go before Tuesday.”

Ponting was hit on the wrist by a cricket ball struck by Michael Hussey during practice in Nottingham, where Australia play a warm-up match against Bangladesh on Sunday.

The 34-year-old Tasmanian batting star sat out the rest of the net session but an Australia spokesman said: “He copped a whack on the wrist and had it iced for the rest of training.

“He’s fine though and he’ll be back on Sunday. There was no need to have an X-ray.”

Australia’s first match of the tournament proper is against Group C rivals the West Indies at the Oval on June 6.