"I think our fielding is the best out of all teams" : Sarfaraz Ahmed

[Zeeraq]

"Shoaib Malik will join the team tomorrow and will be available for the match"

"Our whole focus is on this series, NZ is a tough team and performs well in T20s. We will try to keep the momentum going. The first match is important so we'll try to set the tone here"

"Both Aus and NZ are strong but I still think the Aus team was very strong, they had match-winners who could win the game. As for NZ, they also have such players in Munro and Williamson etc. They also have a strong pace attack with Milne, Ferguson, Southee etc"

"The special thing about our team is that the players are mostly young and energetic and the main difference is our fielding. In the shorter formats specially, it's extraordinary and we take catches and effect run outs at the right time. Our fitness is very good and I think our fielding is the best out of all teams"

"Preparation for the series was good, we had a training session today and the players are ready and hopefully we'll do well"

"Every team in T20 is strong, the team that plays well on the day wins so we are focused and hopefully we'll perform well"

"We have the same XI from last game plus Shaheen Shah Afridi has been added as the 12th man so we'll decide on the playing XI tomorrow. Fakhar Zaman is still unavailable. He has a slight problem with his knee, sideways movement is troubling him at the moment"

 

[barah_admi]

This Pakistan side is certainly the best fielding side in Asia, probably the first time in their history that can be said. In terms of the world, they sit just behind England and possibly SA and on par with NZ.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

May be in T20's but in ODI's they drop lots of catches.

 

[Madplayer]

Perhaps he forgot the shambolic fielding during the Asia cup under pressure. Also dropped quite a few sitters in this t20 series against Aus. There are some highs with some lows as well during fielding.

However, stats wise he isnt wrong.

 

[jadaja]

Ground fielding Indian team is the far better than Pakistan.Slip catching is big problem for Indian team.

 

[WengerOut]

Ground fielding Indian team is the far better than Pakistan.Slip catching is big problem for Indian team.

Afraid you are wrong. I dont know about Pakistan that much, but India certainly have got considerable number of dodgy fielders in their ODI team. Jadhav, Chahal, Khaleel etc.

 

[Snowflake]

Put us under a little bit of pressure and the fielding goes haywire! We only field well when we're on top and confident.

 

[Syed1]

Put us under a little bit of pressure and the fielding goes haywire! We only field well when we're on top and confident.

We were dropping dem catches even when we were on top against the Aussies. Maxwell was dropped thrice before he nearly took Aussies home.

 

[cricketInsight]

How can you claim that when you are dropping 2-3 catches per match?

Yes, fielding has improved a lot by Pakistani standards but we aren't world beaters at all.

 

[Duckworth Lewis]

Why is he mouthing nonsense too often these days? Barring Shadab and a few others the rest are pretty average. Seems to be on a high after bashing a heavily weakened Ausies. NZ reality check coming most probably.

 

[Buffet]

Statements like this looks much better when it comes from opposition.

 

[CricketDon]

In that series alone I saw 2-3 sitters go down every single game.

 

[Rayyman]

Not when Hafeez is in the XI

 

[cricketindiafan]

Perfect motivation for the Kiwis ahead of the series starting tomorrow.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

I see NZ winning T20 series against Pakistan. They are very methodical and will plan to the last detail. Pakistan can be easily rattled if they lose initiative early on.

 

[rhony]

Afraid you are wrong. I dont know about Pakistan that much, but India certainly have got considerable number of dodgy fielders in their ODI team. Jadhav, Chahal, Khaleel etc.

Add Bumrah to that list. His hands are in weird positions when he catches the ball. It's as if they stuck in his hand by mistake.

 

[Haripotter]

Yes , we all saw it in Asia Cup

 

[Chief Destroyer]

It is if you take out Hafeez who's responsible for half the misfields and dropped catches alone.

 

[MMHS]

I think, Test catching is excellent (barring W Keeping - Sarfraz is managing somewhat but can't say excellent), probably best in contemporary world. Asad is a fantastic catcher, Haris & Babar as well and as long as they keep the great man out of 1st slip, it'll remain good.

ODI ground fielding is decent but catching is poor, over all at best average and to my surprise, in Asia Cup we actually out performed PAK in field - that's not a good standard at any consideration.

Surprisingly, T20 fielding is quite good for 2 reasons - 1. in T20, teams need strong arm, more than mobility (because most fielders stand on line be inner or outer circle; Inzi would have been a gun fielder in T20 for his rocket arm). 2. PAK's nemesis is catches under pressure - missed one WC for dropping 4-5 dollies, another CT final for their best fielder dropping a sitter, may be another WC QF as well. In T20, game duration is so short that drops are not decisive, as long as bowling is tight to restrict batting in 20 overs. Maxwell was dropped few times in last game (& once in the WC game at Dhaka when he scored like 60 in one Bilawal over ) - both times AUS lost because, bowlers did tighten screw later. Yasir (?) dropped Kohli in 2015 WC - and he made PAK pay alone.

And, in T20, run-outs are more frequent because of desperation, in which PAK is quite good - few strong & accurate arms from short or long range. In ODI, top batsmen don't take undue risk for few singles - I can hardly recall Kohli been run-out from a direct hit.

But seriously, Sarfraz needs support for his press briefings. Fielding is one area someone from Asia shouldn't boast about in front of Kiwis.

 

[Hawkeye]

Lol.

This is what happens when you start chest thumping over T20s. And take them too seriously.

What an embarrassment.

 

[CadPakFan]

Why would you say that? Even if you were the best fielding side there is no reason at all to chest thump. I have no words.

 

[Hawkeye]

Yes , we all saw it in Asia Cup

Asia Cup doesn't matter.

We thrashed Aus in a meaningless bilateral T20 with great fielding.

Now we're the best fielding, batting, bowling side in the world. This chest thumping! Sarf the great.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Reading the statements of Sarfraz is like watching legion. They are unhinged and untethered from the reality.

 

[Varun]

Pakistan and best fielding?

Now I've heard it all...

 

[Syed1]

Not that I agree with Sarf, but for the record we smashed NZ in NZ in terms of fielding. We fielded far better than them throughout the tour, definitely in the T20s and even during the 5-0 bashing. Don't believe me? Go watch the highlights of the matches.

 

[Abdullah719]

NZ seem to have taken these comments seriously All their fielders have become superman today.

 

[Indiafan]

New Zealand obviously the second best fielding team

 

[CricFan2012]

Can't be the best fielding unit if we keep dropping at least 2 catches every game

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Pakistan is the best in Asia but NZ overall even though they dropped a catch today.

 

[Syed1]

NZ seem to have taken these comments seriously All their fielders have become superman today.

Seemed to have dropped a couple since this post

 

[Abdullah719]

Seemed to have dropped a couple since this post

Sodhi missed the superman memo.

 

[MenInG]

You have to agree with Sarfaraz.

 

[InziRules]

Taylor runout

 

[Bob Marley]

Sarfaraz is very emotional and gets carried away! He is an honest person, -nice soul, but he needs to be more mature and take help from the management on how to handle press and media better!

 

[zulfiqar]

Such a boastful statement from a side notorious for its bad fielding. Even if we have improved I'm sure he could have expressed himself with better words.

 

[Saj]

If only fitness had been taken more seriously in Pakistan cricket over the years. Who knows what may have been.

 

[msb314]

Bump!

I guess not - Hafeez drops another

 

[Snowflake]

Lol.

This is what happens when you start chest thumping over T20s. And take them too seriously.

What an embarrassment.

Lol! What a silly post

 

[Snowflake]

Put us under a little bit of pressure and the fielding goes haywire! We only field well when we're on top and confident.

This is what I meant.

 

[emranabbas]

Wow great comeback and amazing fielding

 

[emranabbas]

What a runout pretty fast that

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Imad, Hafeez, and Asif are slow. Hafeez drops a catch or two. Hassan is erratic but a trier. Faheem is average at best.

Fakhar, Shadab, and Malik are solid all-round fielders. Babar is somewhere in between. The outfielders lack the strong arm that used to be compulsory aspect of Pakistani teams of the past - Inzi, Wasim, Waqar and even Saleem Malik, Ijaz had very good arms.

The good thing is that upcoming players are decent. Shaheen despite being tall and a fast bowler is a pretty okay fielder.

It has been a shame in the past that top fielders like Anwar Ali, Shan Masood, and even CLH Umar Amin haven't really been good at the other disciplines.

We are an okay fielding unit, but we still aren't top of the tree. And we keep dropping a catch or two every match for some weird reason.

That said, in terms of fielding, this is a 8/10 fielding side and a grave improvement on our usually 5/10 fielding sides with players like Sohail Tanvir, Junaid Khan, Rahat Ali, Muhammad Irfan (the 7 footer) all being strategically placed so the ball doesn't find them in the field.

 

[InziRules]

Brilliant series in the field