Sarfraz Ahmed calls for Pakistan to play their best cricket against India

Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed wants his team to play their best cricket against current Asia Cup champions India. The two teams will meet on September 19 in a much-awaited clash. Pakistan, favourites to win this edition of the Asia Cup in UAE which is their adopted home, got off to a flying start after a thumping victory over Hong Kong on Sunday. Their 8-wicket victory was courtesy of Usman Khan’s 3 for 19, followed by a steady half-century by Imam-ul-Haq.

However, Sarfraz was still not entirely satisfied with his team’s overall performance. He insists that the team needs to work on some areas before they take on India in Dubai. Usman Khan’s 3 wickets earned him a man of the match award, while Hasan Ali and leg-spinner Shadab Khan chipped in with 2 wickets apiece. Hong Kong was bowled out for a meagre 116, and Pakistan chased down the total with over half the overs to spare.

“As a captain, I saw a couple of things which we should work on. We should have finished this match with 9 or 10 wickets and we need to bowl better. The new ball didn’t swing for us, and that is alarming. We will work on it in our next practice session. To win against India we have to be at our best in all the three departments,” Sarfraz said after the match.

Previous Ind-Pak encounters

The last time India played Pakistan in an international fixture was at the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in Birmingham. Despite India being favourites to win the match, Pakistan handed their rivals a heavy defeat of 180 runs. Fakhar Zaman starred for Pakistan with a match-winning knock of 114. Zaman was caught behind early on in his innings, only to realize that Jasprit Bumrah had overstepped. The left-hander was given another life and he cashed in on the opportunity to score what became one of the best ODI centuries of that year.

India’s top order struggled against Pakistan’s seamers, finding themselves reeling at 72 for 6 at one stage. A glimmer of hope came in the form of Hardik Pandya, who raced to 76 off 43 before being run out in a horrible mix-up. India’s tail eventually succumbed, handing Pakistan their first ever Champions Trophy title.

However, in the previous edition of the Asia Cup which was held in Bangladesh, India cruised to victory after bundling out Pakistan for just 83. India got off to a shaky start as Mohammad Amir bowled brilliantly, but Virat Kohli’s 49 ensured that they didn’t undergo further collapses.

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