The former Test opener is Pakistan's chief selector but on Monday he was given the additional charge of interim coach after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) failed to find a full time coach ahead of the UAE tour, which gets underway on October 15.

It's a one-off assignment as the PCB has announced that it will appoint a full-time coach soon after the series against Sri Lanka which will include three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 game. The first Test gets underway in Abu Dhabi from October 18.

Pakistan are buoyed up after whitewashing Zimbabwe in a one-off Test, three One-dayers and two twenty20 game last month in an away series and are hoping to do well against the more formidable Sri Lankans under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq.

Mohsin, 56, is confident that his charges have the guts to shine against Sri Lanka ahead of the eagerly awaited assignment against England, the reigning world number one Test team early next year.

"There is no doubt that Sri Lanka is a strong team but we have the firepower to beat them," Mohsin told Arab News in an interview. "All our players have to do is give their best in the UAE," added Mohsin, who replaces Waqar Younis, the former Test fast bowler was forced to quit as national coach because of health issues last month.

Pakistan have brought back pace spearheads Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz after resting them for the tour of Zimbabwe.

"As a coach I believe it's my duty to raise the team's morale and unity as well as self belief," said Mohsin, who played 46 Tests and 75 one-dayers between 1977 and 1986.

"It is a challenging assignment but I'm ready for it. As a Test opener I played some tough cricket and hope to do my job well as coach."

Batting has mostly been Pakistan's Achilles heals in recent times but Mohsin was confident that his batters would shine against Sri Lanka. "Our batting side has some able players and I hope to bring the best out of them."

Pakistan's 15-man squad will assemble at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on October 10 for a brief four-day training camp ahead of the series against Sri Lanka.

The series will be played in three venues in UAE - Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah - after Sri Lanka refused to visit Pakistan because of security concerns. On their last trip to Pakistan in 2009, the Sri Lankan team was ambushed by terrorists in Lahore. Eight Pakistanis, mostly policemen, were killed while seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach were wounded in the attack. No major sporting team has toured Pakistan since that tragic incident.