Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
Sarfaraz Ahmed at a presser:
"People always say that these grounds are like our home and you can say that, but I think the conditions here are even for all the teams. Similar weather can be found in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and the pitches are slow as well. It's an even ground for everyone"
"Team-wise we are very clear and we know what we're going to do once we step out onto the field"
"CT final is in the past and it's history, it was a memorable match for us and we'll always remember it. But it's a new event, a new atmosphere, conditions are different. We'll try to maintain the momentum we gained in the first match"
"People watching on TV etc. always want the team to win against India. But as a player and captain, we want to win matches against every team. But we do get a lot of well wishes which can act as inspiration. Indian players also probably feel that they need to perform well against Pakistan. In the past, players who have performed in these games become heroes for their team"
"My message to the fans is to pray for the team, we have momentum and are in a good frame of mind. The boys are positive and we'll try to perform well and hopefully the fans will be able to watch some good cricket"
"If you look at the Indian team, they are missing their regular captain. I don't know what Rohit's thinking is, maybe there will be some change in their team's frame of mind. Virat Kohli is a big player so his absence will obviously make a difference but they still have players who have performed well for India. I don't think it will make much of a difference as the conditions are similar to how they were in India. If the conditions were different then I would say that his absence will make a huge difference but I think they have players who can perform in his absence here"
"In terms of pressure, there is always pressure in an India Pakistan game. But we've told our players to think of every match as an India-Pakistan match if we want to win this event. We'll try to perform well"
"Imran bhai has a fan following in both India and Pakistan. If he comes to the ground, it'll be great for the fans. For us, it'll be motivation as he's coming at a PM plus the Pakistan team is always motivated whenever he comes to watch a match"
"As a player, we try to take the India-Pakistan match normally. But there is hype created on TV channels and social media so that does have any effect. We just want to play the match like we play all matches"
"It's true that India plays all their matches here at Dubai even if they lose any matches. Travelling is such an issue that if you travel for 90 mins between games, it can be quite difficult in this weather. I think it should be even for all teams whether it's India or Pakistan. If there are matches in Abu Dhabi then every team should play 1-2 matches there. I don't know that the ACC conduct regarding this is"
"No matter what team plays, they will always prepare well before playing. They'll prepare for our bowling and vice versa. Our video analysts have been at work and we have been trying to analyse their strong and weak points"
"Many people say this is India's batting vs Pakistan's bowling but I don't think that's correct. Our batting has been performing well in the past season as well"
"India may be playing back to back matches but they've also gotten more chance to prepare for their first game"
"They will be under pressure due to lack of performances in the last series but I think it'll be a good India-Pakistan match"
"As matches are being played, the pitches' behaviour is changing. In ODI cricket, you aim to make 300-350 or more but from what we've seen here so far, 280-290 can be defended with good bowling. The pitches are slow but I think they will improve as the tournament progresses"
"There is definitely some concern (due to Amir's lack of wickets) but it's not always necessary to be picking up wickets to be bowling well. Sometimes you bowl well and you don't pick up wickets, you can see the example of Mohammad Shami who bowled really well but didn't pick up too many wickets. As a captain, if I look at Amir, I expect him to bowl in good areas and I'll be pleased. Of course, it's a concern that he hasn't picked up wickets. We sat down with him and told him that he's playing as a strike bowler and that his work is to pick up wickets. Hopefully he strikes with the ball in the upcoming matches"
"If you look at Fakhar Zaman, he has been improving constantly and he is the key behind our ODI and T20I success as he always gives us a good platform. We have hopes that he will continue to perform well in upcoming matches"
"People always say that these grounds are like our home and you can say that, but I think the conditions here are even for all the teams. Similar weather can be found in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and the pitches are slow as well. It's an even ground for everyone"
"Team-wise we are very clear and we know what we're going to do once we step out onto the field"
"CT final is in the past and it's history, it was a memorable match for us and we'll always remember it. But it's a new event, a new atmosphere, conditions are different. We'll try to maintain the momentum we gained in the first match"
"People watching on TV etc. always want the team to win against India. But as a player and captain, we want to win matches against every team. But we do get a lot of well wishes which can act as inspiration. Indian players also probably feel that they need to perform well against Pakistan. In the past, players who have performed in these games become heroes for their team"
"My message to the fans is to pray for the team, we have momentum and are in a good frame of mind. The boys are positive and we'll try to perform well and hopefully the fans will be able to watch some good cricket"
"If you look at the Indian team, they are missing their regular captain. I don't know what Rohit's thinking is, maybe there will be some change in their team's frame of mind. Virat Kohli is a big player so his absence will obviously make a difference but they still have players who have performed well for India. I don't think it will make much of a difference as the conditions are similar to how they were in India. If the conditions were different then I would say that his absence will make a huge difference but I think they have players who can perform in his absence here"
"In terms of pressure, there is always pressure in an India Pakistan game. But we've told our players to think of every match as an India-Pakistan match if we want to win this event. We'll try to perform well"
"Imran bhai has a fan following in both India and Pakistan. If he comes to the ground, it'll be great for the fans. For us, it'll be motivation as he's coming at a PM plus the Pakistan team is always motivated whenever he comes to watch a match"
"As a player, we try to take the India-Pakistan match normally. But there is hype created on TV channels and social media so that does have any effect. We just want to play the match like we play all matches"
"It's true that India plays all their matches here at Dubai even if they lose any matches. Travelling is such an issue that if you travel for 90 mins between games, it can be quite difficult in this weather. I think it should be even for all teams whether it's India or Pakistan. If there are matches in Abu Dhabi then every team should play 1-2 matches there. I don't know that the ACC conduct regarding this is"
"No matter what team plays, they will always prepare well before playing. They'll prepare for our bowling and vice versa. Our video analysts have been at work and we have been trying to analyse their strong and weak points"
"Many people say this is India's batting vs Pakistan's bowling but I don't think that's correct. Our batting has been performing well in the past season as well"
"India may be playing back to back matches but they've also gotten more chance to prepare for their first game"
"They will be under pressure due to lack of performances in the last series but I think it'll be a good India-Pakistan match"
"As matches are being played, the pitches' behaviour is changing. In ODI cricket, you aim to make 300-350 or more but from what we've seen here so far, 280-290 can be defended with good bowling. The pitches are slow but I think they will improve as the tournament progresses"
"There is definitely some concern (due to Amir's lack of wickets) but it's not always necessary to be picking up wickets to be bowling well. Sometimes you bowl well and you don't pick up wickets, you can see the example of Mohammad Shami who bowled really well but didn't pick up too many wickets. As a captain, if I look at Amir, I expect him to bowl in good areas and I'll be pleased. Of course, it's a concern that he hasn't picked up wickets. We sat down with him and told him that he's playing as a strike bowler and that his work is to pick up wickets. Hopefully he strikes with the ball in the upcoming matches"
"If you look at Fakhar Zaman, he has been improving constantly and he is the key behind our ODI and T20I success as he always gives us a good platform. We have hopes that he will continue to perform well in upcoming matches"
