Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has admitted on Tuesday (September 18) that he is concerned about the wicket-less spell of his strike bowler Mohammad Aamir against Hong Kong. However, he has backed his strike bowler to come good against arch-rivals India when both the teams take on each other in a crucial Asia Cup encounter on Wednesday (September 19).
As per PTI, Sarfraz told reporters on the eve of an Ind-Pak clash, “I am concerned but I don’t think wickets itself are a reflection of performance. Take, for example, India pacer (Mohammad) Shami’s case in England. He bowled well but couldn’t get wickets. I have spoken to him (Aamir) and told him that he is our strike bowler and has to pick wickets too. Hope he does that tomorrow.”
On Virat Kohli’s absence, Sarfraz said, “As a team not to have your regular captain is a factor. There could be a difference in the frame of mind. But they have enough players who have done well for them, and the conditions are also the same for them. If conditions are adverse then a world class player makes a difference.”
On being asked about the challenge of playing in the extreme weather conditions in the UAE, Pakistan skipper said, “It is difficult in this weather and it should have been even for all the teams. I don’t know what the ACC thought behind the schedule. I have not spoken to anyone about it.”
It is known that India-Pakistan matches are always high-pressure games and it created a lot of hype, though, Sarfraz admitted that “it does affect” but want to take it as just another game.
He further added on the same, “Pressure is always there but we deal with it by telling ourselves that we should have the same intensity for every match. We take these matches normally but there is hype everywhere else, it does affect but we play it as just any other match.”
Meanwhile, the wicket-keeper batsman doesn’t believe that Wednesday’s encounter will be India’s batting against Pakistan’s bowling, saying India will be under pressure after English tour. He added, “India might have prepared for our bowling, we have planned for their bowling too. We are prepared and will execute our plans in the match. I don’t think it’s India’s batting versus our bowling, we have good batting too. They have got back-to-back matches but their schedule has started later than others. They would be under pressure because their performance coming into this tournament was not good.”
He also said that Pakistan’s Champions Trophy 2017 win over India will always remain special for them but it was past and now they want to win against Men in Blue in a new match in the Asia Cup as well.
Sarfraz signed off by saying, “That was past, that match was memorable, it would be remembered but it is a new match, new atmosphere, we would like to take the momentum of our last match into tomorrow’s game. As for craze, when we are playing against India, everybody wants us to win. It inspires us; we get well wishes from fans. It’s the same for Indians. Any player who performs here gets to be a hero; it has been the case in the past.”
