Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has claimed that they are focusing to win the T20I tri-nation series in Zimbabwe rather than thinking to retain their top-place in T20I ranking.
On Sunday (July 1), the T20I tri-nation will begin where the hosts Zimbabwe will participate with Pakistan and Australia. Apart from fighting for the T20I series, the present no.1 T20I ranked team Pakistan will have to fight with Australia to remain on top of the T20I ranking.
Talking about the team’s perception about the series, the Pakistan skipper said, “Definitely ranking is very important, but we are not thinking about it. When I was announced as a captain, we were at number seven. We were not thinking about going to number one and we went up, up, up. Here we are thinking about playing good and positive cricket and to win the tri-nation series.”
Since Sarfraz has been appointed as national team captain, Pakistan has won 19 games out of their 23 T20Is. Sarfraz is satisfied with the team combination that brings positive result consistently.
The wicketkeeper-batsman said, “The T20I team is playing good cricket especially from the last two years. Our combination is very good. We have very good youngsters and senior players. We all are being very good especially in the fielding and batting which is why we are on the right track.”
Zimbabwe cricket is continuously facing uncertainty and controversies. Some important experienced players have not agreed to play in the T20I tri-series due to the uncertainty of current financial condition.
Meanwhile, just a day prior to the opening game of the series, Zimbabwe Cricket has named Hamilton Masakadza as captain of the team.
Despite Zimbabwe is suffering many issues inside their team, Pakistan captain is not taking them lightly.
The 31-year-old said, “If you think about T20 cricket, you cannot underestimate any team. They are a young team and they have a couple of good players. We are not going to take them lightly and we are going to play at our full strength…The Zimbabwe side is very good with some good players. Hamilton Masakadza is a very senior player. Chamu Chibhabha. Elton Chigumbura is back. The first game of the tour is very important. We will try our best to play our best cricket and win the match as well.”
Talking about the condition, the Pakistan skipper has surprised with the early start as the T20I matches will begin at 10:00 am local time.
Speaking about the conditions, Sarfraz said, “I have come here twice in 2013 and 2015. In 2013, the pitches were grassy and Pakistan lost a Test match on that tour as well. In 2015 when we came here, the pitches were different. They were slow and had moisture. But, it is a surprise for me that T20I matches are starting too early. But, it is not our domain to decide the starting of the match.
“The conditions are very good and the weather is good. Hopefully, people will watch good cricket. Whenever you play outside the country it is not easy. When we arrived here, we knew the conditions were not easy. Especially the early on [conditions]. The toss will be very important.”
