Across the last couple of years, several pundits back in Pakistan advocated for the cause of Sarfaraz Ahmed taking over as captain. Even though the move took its time, its surely been worth the wait for Pakistan. Playing a typical captain’s knock under tremendous pressure, Ahmed ensured that he was present in the middle to see his side through against Sri Lanka in a must-win game at Cardiff.
By the virtue of the thrilling win over Sri Lanka, Pakistan now is set to take on England at this very venue on Wednesday. Assessing England’s form over the last few games, Pakistan surely has their task cut out ahead of them. Apart from just being the hosts, the reason behind England’s dominance in this tournament has been their fearless and aggressive approach.
Pakistan needs to be wary of this, and skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed admitted that his side would have to be positive against England. Post the win over Sri Lanka, Ahmed heaped praises on Mohammad Amir for his performance and for sticking with him.
“I can’t believe it,” Ahmed said. “Unbelievable feeling. Thanks to Amir, he played really well. I told him to play his game and not to worry about the scoreboard. Even if we go 3-4 runs per over, if we go close to 30 runs, we will win. I think it was a tough chase. Amir was playing confidently, but I was feeling the pressure,” said Sarfaraz.
“All credit goes to the bowlers. First three overs, there was some movement but after the sun came out, wicket played better. Zaman played a great innings for us and he’s a great prospect for Pakistan. I think England is a tough team. We have to play positive cricket against England,” Ahmed added.