"I feel that Mohammad Amir will have to focus more towards cricket" : Sarfaraz Ahmed

[MenInG]

Pakistan captain, Sarfraz Ahmed is happy that Pakistan are not heading into the World Cup as favourites, rather his team is being labelled as the underdogs in the tournament. However, the skipper is happy with the pool of players he has and assured that whatever the outcome will be, the team will give their best during the tournament.

Recently, Pakistan suffered a thumping 5-0 defeat in the ODI series against Australia in the UAE. The management rested six of their frontline ODI players for the important series, which raised many eyebrows. Moreover, there were concerns that the clean sweep against the reigning champions may impact players’ confidence ahead of the World Cup, however, the skipper thinks otherwise.

“We have got ample time before the World Cup, the players who were dropped are an automatic selection for the cricketing event,” he said. “We are looking to get the right team combination during our five-match series against England in England.”

The England series will be essential for Pakistan’s preparation for the World Cup as the multi-nation cricketing event is scheduled to play in England and Wales from May 30 to July 17. Furthermore, the Men in Green have enjoyed a fair bit of success in the English conditions from 2016 to 2018, which includes their Champions Trophy triumph in 2017.

“We will definitely benefit from the time we will spend in England, we are going almost a month ahead of the World Cup,” said the captain. “We have been playing in England regularly for the past three years, in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and now we are going there again. Our players will get used to of the conditions and it will give us an advantage.”

The Champions Trophy-winning captain, who rested during the forgettable Australia series, identified the reason behind Pakistan’s struggle as lack of wickets with the new ball. He is happy with the way Pakistan’s batting performed during the five-match campaign, but it was their bowling that let them down.

“We have to strike with the new ball, if we do not strike early in the inning, it does not matter how much we score, it will not be a safe total,” Sarfraz Ahmed said. “We have a history of striking with the new ball, whether you see T20Is or Champions Trophy. You cannot put the opposition on backfoot without taking early wickets.”

World Cup 2019 has the same format of World Cup 1992, where every team will take on all the other sides of the tournament at the group stage. The skipper believes that it is a tough format and all the teams have to on their A game throughout the campaign. No matter how good you have been playing at the group stage, one bad game can end their campaign.

The most anticipated game of an around the 45-day long tournament will be played on June 16th at Old Trafford between the arch-rivals, Pakistan and India. It is a key game for both the teams and fans from both countries want their respective teams to win that particular contest.

“Fans would forgive any loss in the tournament, but they want us to win against India, it is the same situation at both sides of the border,” said Sarfraz. “As a captain, I would also want to win that game, but our focus will be on all the teams of the tournament, we will look to defeat India in the tournament and other teams sides as well.”

https://arysports.tv/sarfraz-ahmed-happy-underdogs-tag-world-cup/

We are training very hard as the upcoming 2 to 2.5 months are going to be very tough so more we make ourselves mentally and physically strong the better it will be for us

We have a lot of time on our hands, we have 5 practice games and 5-6 international matches after that

The players who were rested are aware that they will be picked for the World Cup so its not an issue

We have 6-7 fast-bowlers but we have to figure out who are the best 5 who we will take to the World Cup
We are going almost a month before the World Cup so this will be an advantage to us so it will help us acclimatize and get used to conditions

Its been almost 2 years as captain in ODI side and 2.5 years as T20I captain and during this time we do have some difference in opinions between captain, coach and selection committee but in the end the best decision for the side is taken

If two spinners are needed in England, we will have them in the shape of Shadab Khan and then we have imad Wasim and also Shoaib Malik can also bowl, Hafeez if fit can also bowl, Fakhar Zaman can help as well

When going into the World Cup, you need to have a 3rd opener so we have to look for someone in the middle-order who can also open ; Also this is a long tournament and an opener could suffer from bad form so we have to take all that in consideration

The issues I saw in the recent ODI series against Australia was that yes, we scored some big runs and crossed 300 also but we need to strike with the new ball as we have seen that 300+ scores are not safe in today’s cricket

As far as dot balls are concerned, in UAE sometimes the ball doesn’t come on that easily on the bat and so its difficult to rotate strike; If you look at Australians, they hit the ball more than rotating strike

In Durban we saw myself batting at number 8 due to the match situation but in the World Cup, you will see me batting in higher positions

Whilst all teams will get a chance to play each other, it wont be an easy competition for even the better teams

I have played alongside Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad and they have played in my captaincy and I have never had any issue with them as such

Throughout the tournament, we didn’t have any issues with these 2 batsmen

Umar Akmal’s behavior in the PSL was very good and no one in Team management had any problems with it

I will go there [Lahore?] and see what the selection committee and management have observed about these Umar Akmal and if he fits in the combination

About 12-13 players are confirmed for the World Cup so we are only interested in filling 2-3 slots only

I might be mistaken in my judgement but I feel that Mohammad Amir will have to focus more towards cricket

He is a good and talented bowler and in T20 format he is an excellent bowler

So he is good in 4 overs but he will need to focus on 10 overs also as there you have to usually bowl in 3 spells; In contrast, in T20 for 4 overs the bowler puts all his effort

So he will have to put in more hard work and be more focused

His issue is that he is bowling well but not able to take wickets and is not getting the right results

All bowlers go through such a time but I feel he is a good bowler and hopefully can improve if given the chance

Everyone says that lose to any side but not to India
I was on a TV program with Dhawan in it and the same comment he said which was that just win against Pakistan and that’s all what is needed [Pakistan sai jeet jao to baat khatam hai]

Our focus in the World Cup will be on all teams but we will put in efforts to defeat India as well

Pakistan is going into the World Cup as underdogs which is a good thing as we are not going in the list of favourites

I will ask everyone to pray for our success in the World Cup and we will try to do better than all capabilities and talent we have

As a captain and player it is our wish to win the World Cup but even if we don’t win, I would like people to say that yes this team fought well

 

[Bilal7]

There is no denying that beating India on the 16th of June will be like winning a trophy all on its own. After all that has happened this year, the Indo-Pak encounter is bigger than it has been in recent memory.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Wrong mentality.

Wrong prize to aim for.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Except we never win in WCs lol

 

[Akki malhotra]

That is always the case for every world Cup.

 

[Akki malhotra]

There is no denying that beating India on the 16th of June will be like winning a trophy all on its own. After all that has happened this year, the Indo-Pak encounter is bigger than it has been in recent memory.

Every world Cup match between India and Pakistan is like this. I remember 2003 world cup and during Kargil 1999. Pakistan gave very good memories to India always.
Thank you Pakistan for making my childhood days memorable.

 

[Bigbb]

Our players have no idea whatsoever how to handle the tricky questions from the media.
If the same question is put before Kohli, he'll reply that it's just another game and they will try to win it just like any other game. And also that their main aim is to win the cup, not getting satisfied by winning some random matches.

Now compare that to the stupid statement by Sarfraz ( as expected, looking at his minnow mentality). This is where we lose half the battle before any India game at the WC. We give it unnecessary hype and the players fall into the pressure of the extrapolated hype by the media and the fans. But the Indians, being mentally tough and a lot more professional in their approach cope with the hype a lot better.

 

[Hawkeye]

What's the IQ level of this guy?

Embarrassing statement, but not unexpected.

 

[Abdullah]

Calm down guys just playing to the gallery a bit

 

[MMHS]

What's the IQ level of this guy?

Embarrassing statement, but not unexpected.

He might be right (you have to cross check with ***** cults - they hunt together these days). I am sure instead of winning the Cup, Imran still regrets the SCG loss in 1992.

 

[Josh]

A player shouldn't be talking like that. Fans saying it would be okay. This is unprofessional.

 

[Mamoon]

Embarrassing but predictable statement. You will never see someone like Kohli say something like this.

It simply reflects the vastly contrasting mindset of the two captains and the two teams, and it precisely shows why Indian cricket has left Pakistan cricket in its dust in the last 15 odd years.

They have developed a culture of high performance and competitiveness where their sole aim is to win every series and tournament that they take part it in, instead of obsessing over the match vs Pakistan.

On the contrary, the Pakistani team is still obsessed with beating India thanks to its rotten culture as well as its inferiority complex - they know that India is much better than them so beating them is some sort of a milestone or an achievement.

On the other hand, for the Indian team, losing to Pakistan today is like losing to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or West Indies. It is nothing more than having an off-day against a considerably weak opponent.

As a result of this mindset, they were able to quickly get over the record defeat in the Champions Trophy Final and proceeded to thrash Pakistan in the Asia Cup without the best player in the world.

Meanwhile, our fans had deluded themselves into thinking that they would carry the Champions Trophy scars for a long time and somehow the tide will turn in Pakistan’s favor. As result, the Asia Cup reality check was very timely to put our fans in their place.

It is important to note that this mentality of the Indian team has nothing to do with the Indian public and their media. There are plenty of hyper-nationalists in their country who still consider a match vs Pakistan as the end of the world, and end up breaking their TVs whenever India loses to Pakistan.

However, to see our captain make statements like these makes you feel ashamed and simply illustrates that we are a good 20 years behind the India team in terms of our mentality and dressing room culture.

The only way this mindset will change is when or if we move on from meek and weak characters like Sarfaraz with no personality and charisma, and develop cricketers who are not only world class but have great personalities with high confidence (not chichora types like Shadab, Faheem, Hasan etc.) who understand the fact that the ultimate goal is to win the trophy rather than beating India.

 

[Sher Khan]

Some things that can be evaluated from his statements. No Yasir shah for the wc, neither a third opener as hafeez in the middle order can open. An interesting point, is the one about Amir. Will be a big decision not to select Amir.

 

[Ami]

Lets lose to India again..who cares?

But do well in the World Cup, or at least in the matches that I'm going to...haha.

Remember the 1999 encounter, we lost but the atmosphere was brilliant.
There were a few disgruntled fans, but over all it was 'onto the next game boys'...

For once, I have to agree with [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION], show some pride in who you are!...and lets not worry about side shows.

 

[Mamoon]

Some people are attempting to justify his statement in the context of this particular game.

It is true that in light of all that has happened in recent months, the stakes for this match are indeed very high.

If we lose again, the Indians will troll us harder than ever, but if we win, we will also make them forget the Champions Trophy Final with our trash-talk.

However, the issue is that this is how our players generally think anyway, and we hear this crap before every game against India.

 

[Hawkeye]

CT Final was truly a fluke.

 

[khan_aa]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]

Wrong and inaccurate views, when considering there has been no cricket in Pakistan for 11 years.

The fact that this team accomplished #1 test ranking, won CT 2017, won 2009 T20, competed well in 2011 WC and unfortunately only lost to India at home, should tell you about their character and resilience. That is why people love this team. This is why I love this team because I understand the circumstances they play under.

Asia cup 2018 should have been held in pakistan...not UAE. In front of our crowds, not indian in UAE.

Pakistan accomplished more in the last decade despite all the odds against them, compared to let's say, I dont know...England? NewZealand?

You know, sides with GREAT charismatic captains! Which is not the yardstick for success. And sarfraz was an automatic choice after Misbah. Misbah himself had to deal with the likes of match fixers, disciplinary issues with players like umar akmal etc.

I think you need to reset your mind a little bit and stop being so negative about Pakistan. If you like pak cricket, good. If not, move on. Dont need to constantly spew wrong, inaccurate crap...

thanks.

 

[hitthestump]

embarrassing but predictable statement. You will never see someone like kohli say something like this.

It simply reflects the vastly contrasting mindset of the two captains and the two teams, and it precisely shows why indian cricket has left pakistan cricket in its dust in the last 15 odd years.

They have developed a culture of high performance and competitiveness where their sole aim is to win every series and tournament that they take part it in, instead of obsessing over the match vs pakistan.

On the contrary, the pakistani team is still obsessed with beating india thanks to its rotten culture as well as its inferiority complex - they know that india is much better than them so beating them is some sort of a milestone or an achievement.

On the other hand, for the indian team, losing to pakistan today is like losing to sri lanka, bangladesh or west indies. It is nothing more than having an off-day against a considerably weak opponent.

As a result of this mindset, they were able to quickly get over the record defeat in the champions trophy final and proceeded to thrash pakistan in the asia cup without the best player in the world.

Meanwhile, our fans had deluded themselves into thinking that they would carry the champions trophy scars for a long time and somehow the tide will turn in pakistan’s favor. As result, the asia cup reality check was very timely to put our fans in their place.

It is important to note that this mentality of the indian team has nothing to do with the indian public and their media. There are plenty of hyper-nationalists in their country who still consider a match vs pakistan as the end of the world, and end up breaking their tvs whenever india loses to pakistan.

However, to see our captain make statements like these makes you feel ashamed and simply illustrates that we are a good 20 years behind the india team in terms of our mentality and dressing room culture.

The only way this mindset will change is when or if we move on from meek and weak characters like sarfaraz with no personality and charisma, and develop cricketers who are not only world class but have great personalities with high confidence (not chichora types like shadab, faheem, hasan etc.) who understand the fact that the ultimate goal is to win the trophy rather than beating india.

potw

 

[Mueez]

I don’t see anything wrong about Sarfraz’s comment.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

I don’t see anything wrong about Sarfraz’s comment.

This is what he said on which haters have gone full bonkers:
“Fans would forgive any loss in the tournament, but they want us to win against India, it is the same situation at both sides of the border,” said Sarfraz. “As a captain, I would also want to win that game, but our focus will be on all the teams of the tournament, we will look to defeat India in the tournament and other teams sides as well.”

For some, attention is oxygen (copied form [MENTION=142670]mak36[/MENTION]'s book).

 

[khan_aa]

I don’t see anything wrong about Sarfraz’s comment.

there isnt...

 

[Energy]

“Fans would forgive any loss in the tournament, but they want us to win against India, it is the same situation at both sides of the border,” Need to get this 'playing for the fans' mentality out of our cricket pop culture. This was started by Afridi where all his statements included 'my fans'. He used it as a tool to shroud his dismal performances for two decades.

You have to remember that cricketers are playing for the country, and are doing their job for which they get a salary. A salary that is much higher than other professions in the country. Cricketers are not doing an ehsaan on the fans. Why should they forgive any loss?

 

[Mueez]

there isnt...

This is what he said on which haters have gone full bonkers:
“Fans would forgive any loss in the tournament, but they want us to win against India, it is the same situation at both sides of the border,” said Sarfraz. “As a captain, I would also want to win that game, but our focus will be on all the teams of the tournament, we will look to defeat India in the tournament and other teams sides as well.”

For some, attention is oxygen (copied form [MENTION=142670]mak36[/MENTION]'s book).

It is the anti-Sarfraz mentality.

Just because he can’t speak English properly or speaks his heart out...

It is sad to see Pakistanis wanting to disown Sarfraz who is the best captain we have right now.

 

[Adijazz1706]

This is what he said on which haters have gone full bonkers:
“Fans would forgive any loss in the tournament, but they want us to win against India, it is the same situation at both sides of the border,” said Sarfraz. “As a captain, I would also want to win that game, but our focus will be on all the teams of the tournament, we will look to defeat India in the tournament and other teams sides as well.”

For some, attention is oxygen (copied form [MENTION=142670]mak36[/MENTION]'s book).

Mamoon being one-eyed as usual

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

“Fans would forgive any loss in the tournament, but they want us to win against India, it is the same situation at both sides of the border,” Need to get this 'playing for the fans' mentality out of our cricket pop culture. This was started by Afridi where all his statements included 'my fans'. He used it as a tool to shroud his dismal performances for two decades.

You have to remember that cricketers are playing for the country, and are doing their job for which they get a salary. A salary that is much higher than other professions in the country. Cricketers are not doing an ehsaan on the fans. Why should they forgive any loss?

Dont know what you are talking about. Its quite obvious that Pakistani fans take matches against more emotionally than other and for a large population who dont care much about cricket winning against India matters the most. I have a number of friends who have said this to me in the past.

Anyways Sarfraz did mention that as a captain he would like to win against all teams. Clearly talking about the group matches. Ofcoourse in knockout matches you lose 1 match and you are out be it India, Afghanistan or Antarctica.

 

[pakistani pride]

Dont worry you captain. He (AMIR) is born for such moments. He is your man to win the WC.

WT20
ICC CT
left is the WC and he will deliver.

 

[Sherlock]

potw

Yes because it's not like that same post hasn't been made by the same poster for years now ...

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

It is the anti-Sarfraz mentality.

Just because he can’t speak English properly or speaks his heart out...

It is sad to see Pakistanis wanting to disown Sarfraz who is the best captain we have right now.

Sarfaraz haters pollute every thread with their constant attention seeking and will bash him no matter what he says. No wonder majority of them are either Indian cheerleaders, Bangladeshis or Indians.

 

[Bouncer]

Embarrassing but predictable statement. You will never see someone like Kohli say something like this.

It simply reflects the vastly contrasting mindset of the two captains and the two teams, and it precisely shows why Indian cricket has left Pakistan cricket in its dust in the last 15 odd years.

They have developed a culture of high performance and competitiveness where their sole aim is to win every series and tournament that they take part it in, instead of obsessing over the match vs Pakistan.

On the contrary, the Pakistani team is still obsessed with beating India thanks to its rotten culture as well as its inferiority complex - they know that India is much better than them so beating them is some sort of a milestone or an achievement.

On the other hand, for the Indian team, losing to Pakistan today is like losing to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or West Indies. It is nothing more than having an off-day against a considerably weak opponent.

As a result of this mindset, they were able to quickly get over the record defeat in the Champions Trophy Final and proceeded to thrash Pakistan in the Asia Cup without the best player in the world.

Meanwhile, our fans had deluded themselves into thinking that they would carry the Champions Trophy scars for a long time and somehow the tide will turn in Pakistan’s favor. As result, the Asia Cup reality check was very timely to put our fans in their place.

It is important to note that this mentality of the Indian team has nothing to do with the Indian public and their media. There are plenty of hyper-nationalists in their country who still consider a match vs Pakistan as the end of the world, and end up breaking their TVs whenever India loses to Pakistan.

However, to see our captain make statements like these makes you feel ashamed and simply illustrates that we are a good 20 years behind the India team in terms of our mentality and dressing room culture.

The only way this mindset will change is when or if we move on from meek and weak characters like Sarfaraz with no personality and charisma, and develop cricketers who are not only world class but have great personalities with high confidence (not chichora types like Shadab, Faheem, Hasan etc.) who understand the fact that the ultimate goal is to win the trophy rather than beating India.

had to log in for this, you absolutely nailed it in every single point that you made.

POTW for me.

 

[Green Patriot]

What is all this unnecessary drama about Sarfaraz wanting to win against India.
He clearly said that yes we want to win against India but our aim is to win the tournament and will strive to win against other teams too.What's wrong about that.

And what is this crap about Indian players being so professional so as to not consider a loss against Pakistan as anything but an off day against minnows.Didnt Sarafaraz just gave the reference of Dhawan who said the same thing.Who is he then?An unprofessional Pakistani opener?Smh.
There are many aspects of Sarfaraz that can be criticized but this is certainly not one of them.

However Sarfaraz we will not forgive losses against other teams as well.We invest our time and emotions for this game so dont take them lightly.

 

[Green Patriot]

Embarrassing but predictable statement. You will never see someone like Kohli say something like this.

It simply reflects the vastly contrasting mindset of the two captains and the two teams, and it precisely shows why Indian cricket has left Pakistan cricket in its dust in the last 15 odd years.

They have developed a culture of high performance and competitiveness where their sole aim is to win every series and tournament that they take part it in, instead of obsessing over the match vs Pakistan.

On the contrary, the Pakistani team is still obsessed with beating India thanks to its rotten culture as well as its inferiority complex - they know that India is much better than them so beating them is some sort of a milestone or an achievement.

On the other hand, for the Indian team, losing to Pakistan today is like losing to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or West Indies. It is nothing more than having an off-day against a considerably weak opponent.

As a result of this mindset, they were able to quickly get over the record defeat in the Champions Trophy Final and proceeded to thrash Pakistan in the Asia Cup without the best player in the world.

Meanwhile, our fans had deluded themselves into thinking that they would carry the Champions Trophy scars for a long time and somehow the tide will turn in Pakistan’s favor. As result, the Asia Cup reality check was very timely to put our fans in their place.

It is important to note that this mentality of the Indian team has nothing to do with the Indian public and their media. There are plenty of hyper-nationalists in their country who still consider a match vs Pakistan as the end of the world, and end up breaking their TVs whenever India loses to Pakistan.

However, to see our captain make statements like these makes you feel ashamed and simply illustrates that we are a good 20 years behind the India team in terms of our mentality and dressing room culture.

The only way this mindset will change is when or if we move on from meek and weak characters like Sarfaraz with no personality and charisma, and develop cricketers who are not only world class but have great personalities with high confidence (not chichora types like Shadab, Faheem, Hasan etc.) who understand the fact that the ultimate goal is to win the trophy rather than beating India.

Did you actually see the interview?He clearly said that yes he would like to defeat India but ultimately his goal is to defeat all the teams in the tournament.

Besides i always thought you always said that Pakistan is a borderline minnow because there is no talent in the country contrary to popular belief.
So its not the case?we are mediocre because we are always day dreaming about beating India?That explains the 5-0 whitewash in UAE.It wasnt the team selection or talent or lack of foresight by the management but the match of 16th June that was on the players mind??
Yeah that makes sense now.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Indian players being professional? Lol i have heard it all.

Same Indian players who brought politics and recent India/Pakistan border tensions on field by wearing army caps. Lmao such professional. Weeoowww!

 

[Saj]

A few weeks ago I would have said that Mohammad Amir was a certainty for the World Cup squad, but I don't think it's clear cut now.

I think it will depend on how it goes at the upcoming camp and fitness tests.

 

[Mamoon]

The desperation of Sarfaraz fans is laughable. They are comparing the Indian players wearing army caps to their hero's statement, which is simply preposterous.

The Indian players didn't wear those army caps out of their own will - it was a decision taken by BCCI to pay tribute to their soldiers who lost their lives in the Pulwama attack.

What do they expect the likes of Kohli, Rohit, Dhoni, Bumrah etc. to do? Refuse to oblige?

How do you think the Indian media and public would have reacted? Put it this way - if PCB decides to honour our armed forces and instructs our players to wear army caps, would you expect our players to refuse? How would we react if they do so?

If Sarfaraz fans are going to defend his statement, at least come up with some reasoning that is half credible instead of this embarrassing nonsense that took me 2 mins to put to rest.

 

[Hasan123]

Hardly says anything other than typical Pakistani cricketers statements.

Don't have an issue with what he said about the India game. He does say he wants to win the other games.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]

Wrong and inaccurate views, when considering there has been no cricket in Pakistan for 11 years.

The fact that this team accomplished #1 test ranking, won CT 2017, won 2009 T20, competed well in 2011 WC and unfortunately only lost to India at home, should tell you about their character and resilience. That is why people love this team. This is why I love this team because I understand the circumstances they play under.

Asia cup 2018 should have been held in pakistan...not UAE. In front of our crowds, not indian in UAE.

Pakistan accomplished more in the last decade despite all the odds against them, compared to let's say, I dont know...England? NewZealand?

You know, sides with GREAT charismatic captains! Which is not the yardstick for success. And sarfraz was an automatic choice after Misbah. Misbah himself had to deal with the likes of match fixers, disciplinary issues with players like umar akmal etc.

I think you need to reset your mind a little bit and stop being so negative about Pakistan. If you like pak cricket, good. If not, move on. Dont need to constantly spew wrong, inaccurate crap...

thanks.

The "we have not played at home for X number of years and deserve extra credit for it" is ultimately an excuse. The fact is that we have been a mediocre team for many years now regardless of where we are playing our home games. Yes we have had our highs such as winning two trophies and achieving the number one ranking in Tests for about three weeks, that too (thanks to a washout between India and West Indies).

However, by and large, we have been consistently mediocre which is reflected in our rankings. Since 2006, we have not featured in the top 2 in ODIs, and for the better part, we have languished outside the top 4 in Test rankings. That is simply nothing to be proud of.

Furthermore, doing better than New Zealand is not a big deal. There are twice as many people in Karachi than the entire New Zealand, and cricket is not even their premier sport - their premier sport is rugby and they are incredibly good at it. If you cannot even do better than New Zealand with 200 million people and hardly any sport to compete with, perhaps you should stop playing altogether.

As far as England is concerned, their achievements in Test cricket in the last two decades are far more significant. They have spent more time at the summit of the rankings, and they have won Tests series in Australia, India and South Africa in this decade. What have we achieved in the last two decades that come remotely close to that? Nothing.

In Limited Overs, we have won an additional trophy during this time, but they have also spent more time as the number one ODI team.

It is not as if we would be pulling trees if we were playing our home matches in Pakistan instead of UAE. Let's not forget that we have had a pathetic record in Pakistan since the mid 90's. Our players will not turn into world beaters by playing at home.

In fact, playing Tests in the UAE has actually helped us - Pakistani pitches often have something in them for the pacers, but UAE pitches have completely negated the Australian, South African and English pacers which has only benefited us.

In the last two decades, we simply haven't produced enough world class players to be among the elite teams. It has nothing to do with the venue, that is simply an excuse that our fans use because they are not willing to accept our mediocrity since it hurts their pride.

We have lost over 80% of our ODI series against the top teams in the last 10 odd years, and that has nothing to do with not playing in Pakistan - the fact is that they have simply produced better players than us in their time. Do you think if India were to tour Pakistan today, they will not smash us in all formats? Of course they will.

If India were to adopt UAE as their home, it is not as if their cricket will end. They will still win heavily against overseas teams because UAE pitches provide considerable advantage to Asian teams. Would India lose Test series to the likes of Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the UAE? Not in a million years.

It is not about liking or disliking Pakistan cricket - facts do not lie, and no one can challenge the notion that our cricket has been in decline for quite some time now, and that is clearly reflected in our rankings. Yes we have won a couple of tournaments, but they do not always reflect consistency.

How often do we beat the likes of Australia, England, India, South Africa and New Zealand in ODIs? The answer is very rarely. In Tests, we had a good run in the UAE, but that is long gone now. In away matches, we have not achieved anything special outside two Test series in England. We even have the honour of losing a Test match in Zimbabwe in 2013, which certainly cancels out the two drawn series in England in 2016 and 2019 respectively.

As far as not having charismatic captains with big personalities, the fact that India is led by Kohli - one of the greatest batsmen of all time as well as the face of cricket today, while we are led by Sarfaraz who is nothing in comparison clearly shows how much we have regressed.

When India were led by Kapil, we had Imran. When they had Azhar, we had Wasim, When they had Ganguly and Dravid, we had Inzimam. However, things have gone south for us in the last 10 odd years. Misbah was a highly respectable figure who brought dignity to Pakistan cricket, but as a player, he has no legacy compared to a legend like Dhoni.

Unfortunately, the gap seems to be only widening with time. We are not producing world class, elite cricketers with big personalities anymore. We must get to the root of the problem and understand why that is the case, and living in denial will not help.

 

[Titan24]

A few weeks ago I would have said that Mohammad Amir was a certainty for the World Cup squad, but I don't think it's clear cut now.

I think it will depend on how it goes at the upcoming camp and fitness tests.

Sad but not surprising considering the way Amir has performed in ODIs in the last year or two. If selected it wont be based upon merit but his reputation of performing well in big matches.

 

[Sherlock]

It's almost like no-one actually read, or watched what Sarfraz said and bring out their inner-patheticness or bias in front of the masses. Almost.

 

[Titan24]

“Umar Akmal’s behavior in the PSL was very good and no one in Team management had any problems with it

I will go there [Lahore?] and see what the selection committee and management have observed about these Umar Akmal and if he fits in the combination”

Umar Akmal hasnt been included in WC probables and if this interview happened yesterday or after the announcement of probables then it seems like he might discuss about Umer Akmal with team management and selection commitee.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Personally i don't even care if india beat us if that would mean we win the world cup.

 

[shokz1408]

Amir will definitely play v India, however I feel he won't play every match.

 

[shokz1408]

Also, this is the first world cup I haven't even thought about the match v India and just thought about winning the world cup. I think the need to beat India was addressed in the Champions trophy final .

 

[Savak]

Lol this statement comes across like the reason for Amirs poor form is off field distractions and him not being properly focused on Cricket. I personally disagree, I put it down to a lack of overall ability and too much expectations and hype

 

[srh]

Pakistan captain, Sarfraz Ahmed: I might be mistaken in my judgement but I feel that Mohammad Amir will have to focus more towards cricket

why you preach something which you dont act on yourself?

 

[mahmed]

Nothing wrong with this interview, people who criticize Sarfaraz are going to do for all of their life. This is the time to support the captain and back the team but here the ppp are very crazy to hate their own players.

 

[Syed1]

Lovely seeing Saifi causing so much heartburn



Shaba larkay lagay raho


#best since IK

 

[The_Odd_One]

I am no Sarfraz fan but there is nothing wrong in what he said. First of all, there is hardly any Cricket between the two countries so any Cricket match between the two teams is a big deal for the people from both countries. Second, the recent Indo-Pak clash has raised the stakes even higher. Third, India is the best ODI team in the world, so the aim should be be to beat them for any team.

I would have a problem if Sarfraz made a statement that he cared about winning against India only but I am pretty sure he made it clear that he wants to beat India and other teams too.

It is highly unrealistic to not expect a comment on the India-Pakistan match. Besides, what was he supposed to say that he did not want to beat India in WC?

I also don't buy into the statement that Indian dressing room is 10-15 years ahead. Indian team is not just Virat Kohli. Plenty of active Indian players have made even worse remarks.

 

[pakistani pride]

Also, this is the first world cup I haven't even thought about the match v India and just thought about winning the world cup. I think the need to beat India was addressed in the Champions trophy final .

+1

 

[Markhor]

Mohammad Amir has awful numbers in white ball cricket since CT17.

He is one of the biggest culprits behind our lack of new ball threat that Sarfraz mentions.

 

[Arsalan Pro]

Making something out of nothing is a usual trend by some posters here, Sarfraz basically said that we need to win every game but winning against India will be of more value to the fans than beating other teams, which is true to almost every Pakistani and Indian national.

 

[Afhan Ali]

Embarrassing but predictable statement. You will never see someone like Kohli say something like this.

It simply reflects the vastly contrasting mindset of the two captains and the two teams, and it precisely shows why Indian cricket has left Pakistan cricket in its dust in the last 15 odd years.

They have developed a culture of high performance and competitiveness where their sole aim is to win every series and tournament that they take part it in, instead of obsessing over the match vs Pakistan.

On the contrary, the Pakistani team is still obsessed with beating India thanks to its rotten culture as well as its inferiority complex - they know that India is much better than them so beating them is some sort of a milestone or an achievement.

On the other hand, for the Indian team, losing to Pakistan today is like losing to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or West Indies. It is nothing more than having an off-day against a considerably weak opponent.

As a result of this mindset, they were able to quickly get over the record defeat in the Champions Trophy Final and proceeded to thrash Pakistan in the Asia Cup without the best player in the world.

Meanwhile, our fans had deluded themselves into thinking that they would carry the Champions Trophy scars for a long time and somehow the tide will turn in Pakistan’s favor. As result, the Asia Cup reality check was very timely to put our fans in their place.

It is important to note that this mentality of the Indian team has nothing to do with the Indian public and their media. There are plenty of hyper-nationalists in their country who still consider a match vs Pakistan as the end of the world, and end up breaking their TVs whenever India loses to Pakistan.

However, to see our captain make statements like these makes you feel ashamed and simply illustrates that we are a good 20 years behind the India team in terms of our mentality and dressing room culture.

The only way this mindset will change is when or if we move on from meek and weak characters like Sarfaraz with no personality and charisma, and develop cricketers who are not only world class but have great personalities with high confidence (not chichora types like Shadab, Faheem, Hasan etc.) who understand the fact that the ultimate goal is to win the trophy rather than beating India.

Any current Pakistani player with that type of personality, which do you consider?

 

[waleed88]

Embarrassing but predictable statement. You will never see someone like Kohli say something like this.

It simply reflects the vastly contrasting mindset of the two captains and the two teams, and it precisely shows why Indian cricket has left Pakistan cricket in its dust in the last 15 odd years.

They have developed a culture of high performance and competitiveness where their sole aim is to win every series and tournament that they take part it in, instead of obsessing over the match vs Pakistan.

On the contrary, the Pakistani team is still obsessed with beating India thanks to its rotten culture as well as its inferiority complex - they know that India is much better than them so beating them is some sort of a milestone or an achievement.

On the other hand, for the Indian team, losing to Pakistan today is like losing to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or West Indies. It is nothing more than having an off-day against a considerably weak opponent.

As a result of this mindset, they were able to quickly get over the record defeat in the Champions Trophy Final and proceeded to thrash Pakistan in the Asia Cup without the best player in the world.

Meanwhile, our fans had deluded themselves into thinking that they would carry the Champions Trophy scars for a long time and somehow the tide will turn in Pakistan’s favor. As result, the Asia Cup reality check was very timely to put our fans in their place.

It is important to note that this mentality of the Indian team has nothing to do with the Indian public and their media. There are plenty of hyper-nationalists in their country who still consider a match vs Pakistan as the end of the world, and end up breaking their TVs whenever India loses to Pakistan.

However, to see our captain make statements like these makes you feel ashamed and simply illustrates that we are a good 20 years behind the India team in terms of our mentality and dressing room culture.

The only way this mindset will change is when or if we move on from meek and weak characters like Sarfaraz with no personality and charisma, and develop cricketers who are not only world class but have great personalities with high confidence (not chichora types like Shadab, Faheem, Hasan etc.) who understand the fact that the ultimate goal is to win the trophy rather than beating India.

These statements are not just being by Sarfraz, but all of the captains before him.
Pretty sure Misbah had to answer the public about defeating India pretty much the same way, Afridi before him in 2011.

I am sure you were on Pakpassion during the 2015 world cup match, if anyone of the channels didn't have a celebrity cricketing guest debating their own version of Taakra with Indian tv then I would be very surprised. And everytime we did this taakra thing we lost again and again to India.

I won't be surprised if we lose again in all honesty. Things have never been this bad, but atleast now our media can resort to showing CT 2017 highlights in the build up to games because honestly we haven't had much to show for in this decade besides that.

 

[Arsalan Pro]

Mohammad Amir has awful numbers in white ball cricket since CT17.

He is one of the biggest culprits behind our lack of new ball threat that Sarfraz mentions.

Correction to your post, awful numbers in ODI cricket. Also, he is one of the many culprits.

No bowler except for Shaheen Afridi has struck with New ball consistently against quality teams and that is why we have been losing more matches than winning. He might have played greater number of matches than others, but almost everyone is struggling and this is a concern for us.

 

[Markhor]

Correction to your post, awful numbers in ODI cricket. Also, he is one of the many culprits.

No bowler except for Shaheen Afridi has struck with New ball consistently against quality teams and that is why we have been losing more matches than winning. He might have played greater number of matches than others, but almost everyone is struggling and this is a concern for us.

True he's been better in T20Is though our bowlers generally seem to do a lot better with just 4 overs to bowl.

Damp, green FC wickets where bowlers can just exploit the conditions with little skill, and using substandard balls like the Grays in the past before recent switch to Dukes, are two factors IMO behind our poor new ball bowling.

 

[CricketingMinds]

Embarrassing but predictable statement. You will never see someone like Kohli say something like this.

It simply reflects the vastly contrasting mindset of the two captains and the two teams, and it precisely shows why Indian cricket has left Pakistan cricket in its dust in the last 15 odd years.

They have developed a culture of high performance and competitiveness where their sole aim is to win every series and tournament that they take part it in, instead of obsessing over the match vs Pakistan.

On the contrary, the Pakistani team is still obsessed with beating India thanks to its rotten culture as well as its inferiority complex - they know that India is much better than them so beating them is some sort of a milestone or an achievement.

On the other hand, for the Indian team, losing to Pakistan today is like losing to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or West Indies. It is nothing more than having an off-day against a considerably weak opponent.

As a result of this mindset, they were able to quickly get over the record defeat in the Champions Trophy Final and proceeded to thrash Pakistan in the Asia Cup without the best player in the world.

Meanwhile, our fans had deluded themselves into thinking that they would carry the Champions Trophy scars for a long time and somehow the tide will turn in Pakistan’s favor. As result, the Asia Cup reality check was very timely to put our fans in their place.

It is important to note that this mentality of the Indian team has nothing to do with the Indian public and their media. There are plenty of hyper-nationalists in their country who still consider a match vs Pakistan as the end of the world, and end up breaking their TVs whenever India loses to Pakistan.

However, to see our captain make statements like these makes you feel ashamed and simply illustrates that we are a good 20 years behind the India team in terms of our mentality and dressing room culture.

The only way this mindset will change is when or if we move on from meek and weak characters like Sarfaraz with no personality and charisma, and develop cricketers who are not only world class but have great personalities with high confidence (not chichora types like Shadab, Faheem, Hasan etc.) who understand the fact that the ultimate goal is to win the trophy rather than beating India.

Couldn't agree more with you

 

[pakistani pride]

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] maybe you should re watch some of the clips shown on the Indian tv channels pre and post CT finals. Check some tweets as well.

Also I advise you actually WATCH the interview... that helps you know.

 

[mak36]

This is what he said on which haters have gone full bonkers:
“Fans would forgive any loss in the tournament, but they want us to win against India, it is the same situation at both sides of the border,” said Sarfraz. “As a captain, I would also want to win that game, but our focus will be on all the teams of the tournament, we will look to defeat India in the tournament and other teams sides as well.”

For some, attention is oxygen (copied form [MENTION=142670]mak36[/MENTION]'s book).

Lol well said.

Also as Sarfaraz mentioned, Dhawan said something similar not too long ago. In fact what Dhawan said was worse as he didn't even reference fans...

 

[Mamoon]

Any current Pakistani player with that type of personality, which do you consider?

Unfortunately none. There is no cricketer in our setup at the moment who can be deemed as the complete package. It really is a sad illustration of where Pakistan cricket is today.

 

[Mamoon]

These statements are not just being by Sarfraz, but all of the captains before him.
Pretty sure Misbah had to answer the public about defeating India pretty much the same way, Afridi before him in 2011.

I am sure you were on Pakpassion during the 2015 world cup match, if anyone of the channels didn't have a celebrity cricketing guest debating their own version of Taakra with Indian tv then I would be very surprised. And everytime we did this taakra thing we lost again and again to India.

I won't be surprised if we lose again in all honesty. Things have never been this bad, but atleast now our media can resort to showing CT 2017 highlights in the build up to games because honestly we haven't had much to show for in this decade besides that.

True, it is not just Sarfaraz - it was the same story before him and it will probably be the same story after him. After all, he is nothing but a product of the same rotten culture.

 

[Saj]

Problem is there is too much chat about the India match and that just creates pressure ahead of World Cups and Pakistan fall flat.

 

[gazza619]

Seems like there is something about Amir which we dont know.

Clearly there must be a very good reason for his massive downfall. It is not as simple as ‘oh he is too short’ or ‘oh he is past his peak’

 

[Noman]

Seems like there is something about Amir which we dont know.

Clearly there must be a very good reason for his massive downfall. It is not as simple as ‘oh he is too short’ or ‘oh he is past his peak’

Well, let me just tell the truth.
1.Amir is a very smooth talker,
2.He do not have a strong body for fast bowling, he is very fragile and low energy person
3.His focus is on what is normal for many men,
4.Amir is not hungry for new skills and it is more of a well paying job for him
5. Amir has no passion in his eyes, when bowling sadly

 

[khan_aa]

The "we have not played at home for X number of years and deserve extra credit for it" is ultimately an excuse. The fact is that we have been a mediocre team for many years now regardless of where we are playing our home games. Yes we have had our highs such as winning two trophies and achieving the number one ranking in Tests for about three weeks, that too (thanks to a washout between India and West Indies).

However, by and large, we have been consistently mediocre which is reflected in our rankings. Since 2006, we have not featured in the top 2 in ODIs, and for the better part, we have languished outside the top 4 in Test rankings. That is simply nothing to be proud of.

Furthermore, doing better than New Zealand is not a big deal. There are twice as many people in Karachi than the entire New Zealand, and cricket is not even their premier sport - their premier sport is rugby and they are incredibly good at it. If you cannot even do better than New Zealand with 200 million people and hardly any sport to compete with, perhaps you should stop playing altogether.

As far as England is concerned, their achievements in Test cricket in the last two decades are far more significant. They have spent more time at the summit of the rankings, and they have won Tests series in Australia, India and South Africa in this decade. What have we achieved in the last two decades that come remotely close to that? Nothing.

In Limited Overs, we have won an additional trophy during this time, but they have also spent more time as the number one ODI team.

It is not as if we would be pulling trees if we were playing our home matches in Pakistan instead of UAE. Let's not forget that we have had a pathetic record in Pakistan since the mid 90's. Our players will not turn into world beaters by playing at home.

In fact, playing Tests in the UAE has actually helped us - Pakistani pitches often have something in them for the pacers, but UAE pitches have completely negated the Australian, South African and English pacers which has only benefited us.

In the last two decades, we simply haven't produced enough world class players to be among the elite teams. It has nothing to do with the venue, that is simply an excuse that our fans use because they are not willing to accept our mediocrity since it hurts their pride.

We have lost over 80% of our ODI series against the top teams in the last 10 odd years, and that has nothing to do with not playing in Pakistan - the fact is that they have simply produced better players than us in their time. Do you think if India were to tour Pakistan today, they will not smash us in all formats? Of course they will.

If India were to adopt UAE as their home, it is not as if their cricket will end. They will still win heavily against overseas teams because UAE pitches provide considerable advantage to Asian teams. Would India lose Test series to the likes of Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the UAE? Not in a million years.

It is not about liking or disliking Pakistan cricket - facts do not lie, and no one can challenge the notion that our cricket has been in decline for quite some time now, and that is clearly reflected in our rankings. Yes we have won a couple of tournaments, but they do not always reflect consistency.

How often do we beat the likes of Australia, England, India, South Africa and New Zealand in ODIs? The answer is very rarely. In Tests, we had a good run in the UAE, but that is long gone now. In away matches, we have not achieved anything special outside two Test series in England. We even have the honour of losing a Test match in Zimbabwe in 2013, which certainly cancels out the two drawn series in England in 2016 and 2019 respectively.

As far as not having charismatic captains with big personalities, the fact that India is led by Kohli - one of the greatest batsmen of all time as well as the face of cricket today, while we are led by Sarfaraz who is nothing in comparison clearly shows how much we have regressed.

When India were led by Kapil, we had Imran. When they had Azhar, we had Wasim, When they had Ganguly and Dravid, we had Inzimam. However, things have gone south for us in the last 10 odd years. Misbah was a highly respectable figure who brought dignity to Pakistan cricket, but as a player, he has no legacy compared to a legend like Dhoni.

Unfortunately, the gap seems to be only widening with time. We are not producing world class, elite cricketers with big personalities anymore. We must get to the root of the problem and understand why that is the case, and living in denial will not help.

Again, many wrong, resentful, illogical, unfocused arguments (ex: To my ENG and NZ not winning anything, you say NZ is only 5MIL people, so they dont HAVE to be a good team??? Then you say ENG is a better test team). My counter is, well they have a lot more resources than Pakistan. Compare their GDP!
You appear to be one of those people that just love to argue irrespective of validity of arguments. You probably get turned down a lot in real life situations, because no one will tolerate this kind of non sense in real life from you (or anybody) - hence you turn to pakpassion.

Maybe you can try to pick up a bat or a ball and play for Pakistan. Perhaps you can teach Sarfaraz some English as well. Let see. Its very easy to sit behind a screen and criticize others.

Anyone who watched CT 2017 match against SL and Sarfaraz's performance has to believe in two things: There is a God. And that God is on Sarfaraz's side. God has chosen him to be successful on MULTIPLE occasions. It is so evident, only a fool cannot see it. He is a moral man who loves his country, will never sell it short and wears his heart on his sleeve. You may not like that, but it gets the best out of his team mates.

No one is disputing Sarfaraz's lack of education, manners and elitism. We do not care. He is from Buffer zone in Karachi - thats what you get from there.

What I see in Sarfaraz is a true leader, different from Malik, Hafiz (who has not given us anything in the last 15 years - they are big match failures, except for Hafeez's CT 2017 56 which was played without any pressure. Look at his dismissal in 2011 WC for instance - he never managed pressure well).

PCB made a mistake by making Sarfraz the test captain. He does not have the caliber for that. Since he was made test captain, he has struggled. His ODI record, batting and performance was above average til then.

Support Sarfraz, support our team and hope for the best.

 

[PakLFC]

I will happily take another loss to India if we win the tournament! Thing with Amir is that he usually does the business in big matches. So according to Sarfaraz what is Amir focused on at the moment if not Cricket?

 

[ali2220]

I will happily take another loss to India if we win the tournament! Thing with Amir is that he usually does the business in big matches. So according to Sarfaraz what is Amir focused on at the moment if not Cricket?

For sure, but we need to be realistic, Pak can play well and reach semis, but we can't expect this team to win the tour.We simply don't have the players to win us the title.

 

[MenInG]

Mohammad Amir comment is fine, He qualified it with talking about Amir's issues with 50 over game etc -

 

[Mamoon]

Again, many wrong, resentful, illogical, unfocused arguments (ex: To my ENG and NZ not winning anything, you say NZ is only 5MIL people, so they dont HAVE to be a good team??? Then you say ENG is a better test team). My counter is, well they have a lot more resources than Pakistan. Compare their GDP!
You appear to be one of those people that just love to argue irrespective of validity of arguments. You probably get turned down a lot in real life situations, because no one will tolerate this kind of non sense in real life from you (or anybody) - hence you turn to pakpassion.

Maybe you can try to pick up a bat or a ball and play for Pakistan. Perhaps you can teach Sarfaraz some English as well. Let see. Its very easy to sit behind a screen and criticize others.

Anyone who watched CT 2017 match against SL and Sarfaraz's performance has to believe in two things: There is a God. And that God is on Sarfaraz's side. God has chosen him to be successful on MULTIPLE occasions. It is so evident, only a fool cannot see it. He is a moral man who loves his country, will never sell it short and wears his heart on his sleeve. You may not like that, but it gets the best out of his team mates.

No one is disputing Sarfaraz's lack of education, manners and elitism. We do not care. He is from Buffer zone in Karachi - thats what you get from there.

What I see in Sarfaraz is a true leader, different from Malik, Hafiz (who has not given us anything in the last 15 years - they are big match failures, except for Hafeez's CT 2017 56 which was played without any pressure. Look at his dismissal in 2011 WC for instance - he never managed pressure well).

PCB made a mistake by making Sarfraz the test captain. He does not have the caliber for that. Since he was made test captain, he has struggled. His ODI record, batting and performance was above average til then.

Support Sarfraz, support our team and hope for the best.

So to provide a summary, you have completely ignored and attempted to deflect the following:

- the humungous difference in population between Pakistan and New Zealand. Moreover, you have changed the argument from "New Zealand have not done better than Pakistan" to "New Zealand are not a good team".

For the record, New Zealand have done wonderfully well when you consider their population and the fact that cricket is nowhere near their main sport.

- Pakistan's atrocious record in ODIs against the top sides for over a decade which cannot be justified by not playing in Pakistan

- England's superior performances in Test cricket in the last two decades

In spite of those factors, they have players like Williamson, Boult, Taylor etc. in their team who are far and beyond Pakistan's best players at the moment.

Instead, you decided to bring God to the argument and were also keen enough to provide me free therapy over the Internet, and were kind enough to assess my behaviour and concluded that my views on PP are a result of the problems that I face in real life.

Unfortunately for you, what you don't realise is that when you bring God and personal life to a discourse on cricket, you are quite clearly indicating that you have lost the debate in spectacular fashion.

Perhaps, lost is a strong word. This is not about winning or losing; it is not a competition. However, for future reference, I believe you and your 16 posts can learn something from my 78,000 posts.

Don't be demeaned by it and consider it a friendly advice - never again bring God and religion to a discussion on cricket, and it would also be better if you avoid exercising your psychiatric ambitions on your fellow posters.

If you stick to cricket and try to engage in a discourse by explaining your viewpoint, people will respect. They may not always agree with you, but at least they will respect you and regard your opinion.

 

[Junaid_ahmed]

I have seen many times that professional Indian cricketers fighting like ..... in ipl & international matches but again some people are and yes what about boycott & isolate Pakistan in cricket.

 

[khan_aa]

Sarfraz, the nation is behind you.
Do not pay attention to haters and doubters, they do not know the facts.
You have struggled with adversity in the past and proven people wrong time and time again. Just focus on the world cup, get your team together and compete - thats all what we ask for.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

It's almost like no-one actually read, or watched what Sarfraz said and bring out their inner-patheticness or bias in front of the masses. Almost.

Lol so true.

And then they come with these gems that "I dont hate Sarfaraz". Yeah ok we heard it all lmao.

 

[Stewie]

So to provide a summary, you have completely ignored and attempted to deflect the following:

- the humungous difference in population between Pakistan and New Zealand. Moreover, you have changed the argument from "New Zealand have not done better than Pakistan" to "New Zealand are not a good team".

For the record, New Zealand have done wonderfully well when you consider their population and the fact that cricket is nowhere near their main sport.

- Pakistan's atrocious record in ODIs against the top sides for over a decade which cannot be justified by not playing in Pakistan

- England's superior performances in Test cricket in the last two decades

In spite of those factors, they have players like Williamson, Boult, Taylor etc. in their team who are far and beyond Pakistan's best players at the moment.

Instead, you decided to bring God to the argument and were also keen enough to provide me free therapy over the Internet, and were kind enough to assess my behaviour and concluded that my views on PP are a result of the problems that I face in real life.

Unfortunately for you, what you don't realise is that when you bring God and personal life to a discourse on cricket, you are quite clearly indicating that you have lost the debate in spectacular fashion.

Perhaps, lost is a strong word. This is not about winning or losing; it is not a competition. However, for future reference, I believe you and your 16 posts can learn something from my 78,000 posts.

Don't be demeaned by it and consider it a friendly advice - never again bring God and religion to a discussion on cricket, and it would also be better if you avoid exercising your psychiatric ambitions on your fellow posters.

If you stick to cricket and try to engage in a discourse by explaining your viewpoint, people will respect. They may not always agree with you, but at least they will respect you and regard your opinion.

Dude you are turning into a broken record now! Its like a very tired old Schtick to be expected from you. Long drawn out arguments about why everything about Pakistan or Pakistanis is demented, poor, weak, unprofessional and failure and why everything anti-Pakistan is so cool.

We get it! Yes our country and our nation and our cricket has flaws. Some are more glaring than others. So WhAT! Its not like everybody else is doodh ka dhula..
No matter what I support my people and my country and my team and try to do what’s right and try to fix the issues to the best of my ability rather than whining about it and throwing my own under the bus at every opportunity I get.

Learn to be positive for once and support your people, support your team, it’s the World Cup for eff’s sake!

 

[PakLFC]

For sure, but we need to be realistic, Pak can play well and reach semis, but we can't expect this team to win the tour.We simply don't have the players to win us the title.

If we reach the semi's then can win it as well. No one could have said we'd smash India by 200 runs in the Champions Trophy final. We just need to click for two days if we reach the semi's to win the tournament.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

I have seen many times that professional Indian cricketers fighting like ..... in ipl & international matches but again some people are and yes what about boycott & isolate Pakistan in cricket.

Indian cricketers have shown their true colors in the recent episode (by unnecessarily bringing politics on field). That was anything but professionalism.

Regarding the tweets, those were not Indian cricketers rather some species from Mars or maybe nephews of cricketers tweeted that.

 

[giri26]

To be really frank, nothing wrong in what Sarfaraz said but I don't think we should get into what the other team captain would have said etc. The only thing I would guard against as a Pakistan skipper is to put too much pressure on the team by hyping up the game. It has not ended well in the past for Pakistan. It is better to avoid such questions with much more non-committal response. It should not be based on what the other team captain or players are saying as it does not matter.

 

[Junaid_ahmed]

I am in favor of sarafraz if he keep yelling on players rather silent graceful & gentlemen captains who lost matches after matches, BTW it's 6-1 in ODIs and a T20 series lost since the thorough gentlemen took the charge..... shruuup.....shruuup.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has expressed concern over ace bowler Mohammad Amir's form ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019.

Amir, who was dropped after just one match in the recent five-match one-day international series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates, has gone wicketless in nine of his last 14 games. And Sarafraz was worried about the fast bowler's predicament.

"When your main strike bowler is not taking wickets regularly, obviously it causes concern to the captain," he told a television channel.

Pakistan nearly missed out on qualification for the Champions Trophy altogether and began their campaign with a heavy loss to arch rivals India. But then victories over world No. 1 South Africa, Sri Lanka and hosts England set up a tantalising re-match against India in the Final at The Oval. Not to be denied on this occasion, Pakistan set an imposing total of 338, led by a century to Fakhar Zaman before Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali combined to bowl India out for 158 to deliver an unlikely but memorable triumph.

In the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, Amir's spell of 3/16 in the final rocked the tournament favourites India to hand Pakistan victory. He was in exceptional form then, tormenting the strong Indian top-order and it looked like the 26-year-old was here to stay. Unfortunately, a string of below par performances since then have cast a shadow of doubt over his inclusion in the World Cup squad.

"I can't say whether he will be in the World Cup squad or not but our minds are clear about our plans and when the squad is announce everyone will know," the Pakistan skipper added.

I can't say whether he [Amir] will be in the World Cup squad or not but our minds are clear about our plans.

Pakistan's World Cup campaign will begin on 31 May against West Indies. Prior to the premier event, they will tour England to play five ODIs and a one-off T20I from 5 May. The selectors will be announcing the 15-member World Cup squad on 18 April, followed by a 17-18-member squad for the England tour on 23 April, so Amir still has his opportunities.

Last month, during the Australia series in UAE, Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood showed faith in the bowler's ability to bounce back and pointed out that he had been working on his fitness.

Amir has been wicketless in 9 out of the last 14 ODIs he has played

"Amir is a wonderful bowler. But since he returned, he was playing non-stop cricket so we have to do work on his fitness," Mahmood had said. "If Amir is fit and bowling well then we know he is a wicket-taker.

"The reason for that is playing three formats, in limited overs you bowl a bit shorter. Amir is a swing bowler and that’s what makes him dangerous. On a Sharjah type wicket, you have to bowl a bit shorter so his ball isn’t swinging but he’s working hard and I hope he’ll come back strong."

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