Sarfraz confident Pakistan will deliver when it matters

CARDIFF: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has said he is confident Pakistan will deliver when it matters and that the team will peak at the right time despite losing an ODI series against England as well as their first warm-up game to Afghanistan ahead of the World Cup, Geo News reported.

“We’ve already learned a lot,” he said. “Playing in five different grounds, on different types of pitches, means we know the conditions pretty well now. We’ve been here for almost a month and are adapting to the conditions well.”

He made the remarks ahead of their second warm-up match with Bangladesh in Cardiff, but the match was called off over weather.Ahmed added that he is confident about his team and that he is happy to see his team fighting. “Unfortunately we didn’t get the win [against England]. We came close two times and we just didn’t finish well — but the team is in good shape,” he said. Speaking about the inclusion of bowlers Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz in the squad, the 32-year-old said: “It’s good to have Wahab Riaz back in the squad. Hopefully, he will do very well in the World Cup. I’m very confident with him. [With] Mohammad Amir and Shadab Khan back in the team, we have good strength in the bowling line-up.”

He added: “We all know the pitches are good in England, but the practice matches have shown us different types of wickets. Against Afghanistan, it was spinning, and in other games, the ball has been swinging.”

“The pitches will be good for bowlers and batters in this World Cup. Pakistan’s past record in England is very good,” Ahmed said. “For me, I love to play here, because the pitches are excellent. We’ve got lots of support here too, so that’s why we play well in England.” Pakistan begin their World Cup campaign against West Indies on May 31 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.