Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam exuded confidence that his team has the potential and depth to win the ICC Champions Trophy.

The event begins in South Africa on September 22.

Intikhab said Pakistan has the firepower and can repeat their T20 World Cup success in South Africa.

"The Champions Trophy is a tournament in which we have not done well. We have never won it. I think the depth we have in our side if we play to our potential we can win the event," Intikhab told reporters at the Karachi airport before leaving for South Africa for the eight-nation tournament.

The former Test captain said a very balanced side had been selected for the tournament keeping in mind the conditions in South Africa.

"The batting has experience, youth and firepower. While I think our bowling remains our strongest point. We have quality pace bowlers and in Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal we have to world class spinners," he said.

The 67-year-old Intikhab, who has been under scrutiny in recent times for his age, said the team needed to show the same form and resolve they had shown in the T20 World Cup in England.

"We are carrying a lot of expectations to the Champions Trophy. We are the T20 World Champions and we need to perform like Champions. I have told the boys to focus on the group matches which are going to be tough and challenging against teams like India and Australia," he added.

The Pakistan coach said the clash against India on September 26 should be the litmus test for his players.

"We have not played against India in a one-day international for a while now. I think that if we can win that one then we would have built up the confidence and self belief to go on and win the tournament itself," he said.

Intikhab said the players had been put through every possible preparation for such a big event.

"The two training camps we had in Lahore and Karachi have proven to be very beneficial. We have had specialised physical conditioning and batting sessions. The players have had counselling sessions with a psychologist. So we have done all that we can to prepare for the event the real test now is how we put this to good use in the event," he said.

Intikhab said he was not worried about having just one specialist opener in Imran Nazir in the side for the South African conditions.

"Kamran Akmal has now been opening regularly for us and we have also mentally prepared Shoaib Malik to fill in this role. But playing a makeshift opener gives us more options in the late order," he pointed out.

"I have told the players to play multi-tasking roles and be flexible in their approach in every match. We have the talent to be flexible in our selections," he said.