[VIDEO] "8 matches left, I have full faith in my team's ability to perform better" : Sarfaraz Ahmed

[jnaveen1980]

I honestly thought Shinwari would be a handful in England, especially with his raw pace. He get's smacked about for a few balls yes, but he gets wickets. Rather have him than Wahab who gets smacked about but can't take wickets

Statistically he has been the best for Pakistan in recent times. Riaz TTF. Every country knows what you are going to get from him.

 

[Mainul]

Pakistanis need to support their team now and give them courage.

 

[Tom1]

Shinwari is the only fast bowler capable of taking wickets. He could go for runs at times but is capable of running through sides. No other bowler in this line-up can do that. As an Indian who follows most of Pakistan's matches, I was pleasantly surprised when he was excluded. Pakistan selectors did not consider numbers while selecting bowlers, they went with their gut feeling which I think is proving to be a mistake.

 

[Savak]

Shinwari is the only fast bowler capable of taking wickets. He could go for runs at times but is capable of running through sides. No other bowler in this line-up can do that. As an Indian who follows most of Pakistan's matches, I was pleasantly surprised when he was excluded. Pakistan selectors did not consider numbers while selecting bowlers, they went with their gut feeling which I think is proving to be a mistake.

People lobbied for Amir over Shinwari even though the former only picked up 3 wickets in his last 14 ODIs. Shinwari on a bad day goes for plenty but can also single handedly win you games with 3-4 wicket bursts in 2 overs and that is what you need to do well in a world cup

 

[Dr_Bassim]

People lobbied for Amir over Shinwari even though the former only picked up 3 wickets in his last 14 ODIs. Shinwari on a bad day goes for plenty but can also single handedly win you games with 3-4 wicket bursts in 2 overs and that is what you need to do well in a world cup

Shinwari wouldn't have done anything to defend 100 runs.

 

[Saj]

He shuffled into the presser, head bowed, looked a bit lost, broken and not someone who could inspire others.

His answers were brief and not always answering the questions and understandably he just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

 

[Ashraful_Rox]

Pakistan will bounce back strong

 

[hur rizvi]

Pakistanis need to support their team now and give them courage.

We support them, but ultimately it's upon them to raise their game and fighting spirit

 

[MenInG]

By Sarfaraz Ahmed (Pakistan cricket team captain)

I know our fans will be disappointed with the manner in which we played in our World Cup opener against the West Indies. We are hurt too as no one wants to lose a World Cup match like that. All those who have played this great game will vouch the pain the players undergo following such an ordinary performance.

What went wrong? I can say a number of things, but by stating those facts I will not try to hide behind excuses.

To begin with, the starting time was very crucial. A 10:30 start made the toss very important. We too wanted to bowl first but toss is never in your control. I lost it and the West Indies, like any other team would have done, sent us into bat.

We always expected it to be a hard game. We were ready for a barrage of short pitch balls and had prepared for it. But, we lost too many wickets up front that pegged us back.

I would pinpoint Andre Russell's two wickets of Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail. That shook us in the Powerplay and when you lose three top-order wickets in the first ten overs, it going gets tougher.

I think our shot selection was not good and we lost a number of batsman to short pitch deliveries.

The other main thing that contributed to the batting’s downfall was our failure to build partnerships. I think the highest partnership of the innings was for the last wicket, which produced 22 runs.

Fakhar and Babar had good starts and they were playing their shots. Unfortunately, Fakhar was bowled off an inside edge and Babar had a very soft dismissal. Its always important at any level of cricket to capitalise on good starts, which the two couldn’t do.

I also want to negate the impression that it was a 400-plus pitch or the one on which England had piled a world record of 481 runs last year. No, this was a fresh pitch and it was sticky. The ball was stopping on it. Because of the day match, there was moisture on it. If you remember we scored 340 batting first on this same venue against England in the fourth ODI because it was a late start and there was no moisture and the ball was properly coming onto the bat.

Why we did not play Asif Ali? It was because we wanted to play with full batsmen and bowlers -- five bowlers and six batsmen – with Mohammad Hafeez our off-spinner who we wanted to use against their left-handers.

I think our bowlers, particularly Mohammad Amir, bowled well. It was good to have Amir back in form. We know what he is capable of and it will be good for us in the next matches as well. After we were bowled out for 105, our target was to get wickets and West Indies countered that by playing big shots. They released the pressure by hitting big and that happens.

Despite the defeat, I am confident that we have the ability to bounce back. We have to back ourselves and not think too much about what happened in the first game.

That match is gone, we have the type of players who can win the next match for us. Insha'Allah, we will bounce back in the next matches. All matches will be tough, so we need to regroup ourselves and come hard in the next match. The format of this tournament is good and it allows every team to bounce back. I will tell the boys not to think too much of what has happened. It's gone, we have to move forward with a resolve that we can do better than this.

England are a tough team but we have played them in a series recently. So, all we need is to play at our potential and come up with a win.

I am sure you will see a good show from us in the next game.

https://www.pcb.com.pk/blog-detail/i-will-not-try-to-hide-behind-excuses.html

 

[MenInG]

Source Twitter:

 

[hur rizvi]

By Sarfaraz Ahmed (Pakistan cricket team captain)

I know our fans will be disappointed with the manner in which we played in our World Cup opener against the West Indies. We are hurt too as no one wants to lose a World Cup match like that. All those who have played this great game will vouch the pain the players undergo following such an ordinary performance.

What went wrong? I can say a number of things, but by stating those facts I will not try to hide behind excuses.

To begin with, the starting time was very crucial. A 10:30 start made the toss very important. We too wanted to bowl first but toss is never in your control. I lost it and the West Indies, like any other team would have done, sent us into bat.

We always expected it to be a hard game. We were ready for a barrage of short pitch balls and had prepared for it. But, we lost too many wickets up front that pegged us back.

I would pinpoint Andre Russell's two wickets of Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail. That shook us in the Powerplay and when you lose three top-order wickets in the first ten overs, it going gets tougher.

I think our shot selection was not good and we lost a number of batsman to short pitch deliveries.

The other main thing that contributed to the batting’s downfall was our failure to build partnerships. I think the highest partnership of the innings was for the last wicket, which produced 22 runs.

Fakhar and Babar had good starts and they were playing their shots. Unfortunately, Fakhar was bowled off an inside edge and Babar had a very soft dismissal. Its always important at any level of cricket to capitalise on good starts, which the two couldn’t do.

I also want to negate the impression that it was a 400-plus pitch or the one on which England had piled a world record of 481 runs last year. No, this was a fresh pitch and it was sticky. The ball was stopping on it. Because of the day match, there was moisture on it. If you remember we scored 340 batting first on this same venue against England in the fourth ODI because it was a late start and there was no moisture and the ball was properly coming onto the bat.

Why we did not play Asif Ali? It was because we wanted to play with full batsmen and bowlers -- five bowlers and six batsmen – with Mohammad Hafeez our off-spinner who we wanted to use against their left-handers.

I think our bowlers, particularly Mohammad Amir, bowled well. It was good to have Amir back in form. We know what he is capable of and it will be good for us in the next matches as well. After we were bowled out for 105, our target was to get wickets and West Indies countered that by playing big shots. They released the pressure by hitting big and that happens.

Despite the defeat, I am confident that we have the ability to bounce back. We have to back ourselves and not think too much about what happened in the first game.

That match is gone, we have the type of players who can win the next match for us. Insha'Allah, we will bounce back in the next matches. All matches will be tough, so we need to regroup ourselves and come hard in the next match. The format of this tournament is good and it allows every team to bounce back. I will tell the boys not to think too much of what has happened. It's gone, we have to move forward with a resolve that we can do better than this.

England are a tough team but we have played them in a series recently. So, all we need is to play at our potential and come up with a win.

I am sure you will see a good show from us in the next game.

https://www.pcb.com.pk/blog-detail/i-will-not-try-to-hide-behind-excuses.html

Just get out there and compete with every bit of fighting spirit you have left

Results matter but playing bravely matters even more Atm

 

[Mainul]

We support them, but ultimately it's upon them to raise their game and fighting spirit

Have patience. These guys started the CT in almost same way.

 

[Bowled]

Miracles don't happen every time.

Pakistan suffered a seven-wicket defeat to the West Indies in their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup opener in Nottingham.

Beaten by seven-wickets it was their second-lowest World Cup score in history as they were rattled out for just 105 by a hostile West Indian bowling attack at Trent Bridge.

It was their 11th consecutive ODI defeat but maybe they can take some inspiration from history.

When they last lifted the World Cup in 1992 they lost by ten wickets to the West Indies in their tournament opener, so it could be worse.

And they were bowled out for just 74 by England just a few days later.

By the end of the tournament, Imran Khan’s side were world champions, famously turning the tables on this year’s hosts in the final at the MCG.

The point is, they remain as predictably unpredictable as ever.

“We wanted to bowl first and the start is very crucial for our team,” said Sarfaraz.

“We lost too many wickets early on and that’s why we didn’t come back into the game.

“We expected a hard game and we knew what was coming to us. It was not a good result for us but we have what it takes to play and win.”

All the pre-match talk was about whether the Windies’ powerhouse batsmen could threaten the 500-run mark on a ground made for big scores.

Sarfaraz countered he believed it would be a game for the bowlers, though it was the men in maroon who rolled back the years with a performance reminiscent of the 1970s, when their pace attack inspired them to two World Cup victories.

But it won’t get any easier for the Pakistan captain, with world No.1 side England – pumped up from their opening win over South Africa – their next opponents on the same ground next Monday.

“I was happier with how we bowled and the effort we showed, especially as we were defending such a low score,” added Sarfaraz.

“It was good to see Mohammed Amir back in the form we know he is capable of and it will be good for us in the next matches as well.

“We have got to back ourselves and not think too much about what happened in this match.

“This game is gone but we have a strong players who will help us bounce back and win the next match.

“We know we can beat England, we came close twice in the recent series and we just didn’t finish well.”

I have heard this a number of times but the 1992 team had some brilliant players and the other teams were playing a similar brand of cricket. Things are drastically different today, where we are still playing the old brand of cricket, while the rest of the teams have evolved into high scoring ones. We can't win matches because even when we don't loose wickets, we have the worst run rate of all teams in the first and last ten overs, the most important power plays of the game.

 

[Sirris]

I don't get how one can be prepared and still have a "bad day". Especially since the term "bad day" is a huge understatement.

 

[Chokli]

I don't get how one can be prepared and still have a "bad day". Especially since the term "bad day" is a huge understatement.

"We're a team that hates losing"

 

[Sirris]

"We're a team that hates losing"

Perhaps it's that famous psychological effect where you hate what you are.

 

[ManFan]

Source Twitter:

View attachment 91935

Agree with this.

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

If somehow they beat Eng, they will blow the competion right out of the water

 

[Xoib]

Sarfaraz should relax

It will not help him will not help Pakistan and he will burn out midway through the tourney.

 

[Xoib]

This is a long tournament take every game at a time his nervousness is rubbing on to the team the wrong way and is hampering his decision making aswell as his performance

 

[Zeeraq]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sarfaraz Ahmed has become the 4th Pakistani wicket-keeper to reach the milestone of 100 catches in ODIs. The other 3 are Moin Khan (214), Rashid Latif (182), Kamran Akmal (156)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1135557103182143488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Source Twitter:

View attachment 91935

Pathetic post.

And dishonest too as 5 of those matches were lost by Imad and Malik.

I hope such low life people dont get a bad time in life.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Pathetic post.

And dishonest too as 5 of those matches were lost by Imad and Malik.

I hope such low life people dont get a bad time in life.

Not really. Emotions were running high after the WI. I don't blame him. Our team was performing very badly. We're on a 11 match losing streak FGS.

 

[MenInG]

Sarfaraz Ahmed speaking at end of the match against England

When the match starts at 10:30, then the first 10 overs are very important and if you lose any wickets then you cannot get those sort of big scores, and you really have to stay on the wicket

Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman did a good job for us and that's why Pakistan scored 348

We started with Shadab Khan today as we know that England batsmen like Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow are not able to play spin, that's why we tried a different plan today

Today we fielded better, we bowled better and we won the match today

This victory has given a lot of confidence to the team as we have been playing good cricket but unfortunately not been able to cross the finish line

 

[MenInG]

A perfect team effort

By Sarfaraz Ahmed
Pakistan cricket captain

When we embarked on our World Cup campaign, someone reminded me it was not about how you start, but how you finish. If you take that entirely in the context of yesterday’s match against England, we started solidly with Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq putting on 82 runs for the first wicket after we were put into bat. And then, we finished clinically with Shadab Khan, Wahab Riaz and Mohamamd Amir producing seven of the nine wicket-taking deliveries Azhar Mahmood had hoped for in his pre-match media conference.

Our performance against the West Indies was unacceptable. We played well below our potential and, therefore, it was important we bounced back forcefully to restore not only our confidence but also that of our fans and supporters. Apart from the result, I am sure our fan club will be pleased with our body language at Trent Bridge yesterday.

I once again reiterate this young side, whose average age is around 24, is as proud and honoured to represent the country at the World Cup as any Pakistan team of yesteryears. This side, like its predecessors, has the motivation, hunger, desire, resolve and self-belief to give its very best every time the boys wear Pakistan colours. That’s our philosophy, which is reflected in our tagline #WeHaveWeWill.

We arrived at Trent Bridge on Monday oozing with confidence. We had the self-belief that we can beat England. The 4-0 scoreline in the bilateral series in the lead up to the World Cup may have reflected a one-sided affair, but we knew the reality was different.

In the four completed ODIs, we had posted scores of 361 for seven, 358 for nine, 340 for seven and 297. So, batting was not the concern. All we needed to do yesterday was to bowl and field better, and capture the key moments, which we did with success. The result is a 14-run victory.

Before the match, our message to the boys was quite clear: play with controlled aggression and fight till the last ball. After we were put into bat, we agreed that we will try to keep wickets intact so that we can launch an assault in the later stages. We managed 69 runs in the first Powerplay and then Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez built on that for us to achieve a challenging total.

It was a perfect team effort. All the players did well and deserve appreciation. I stress on this because this was a day match and it was important that our openers gave us the right kind of platform. Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq set the cornerstone of that innings. They deserve all the credit.

Hafeez showed there is no substitute to experience. He not only controlled and paced his innings to perfection, he rotated the strike with Babar and punished the loose deliveries. It is so pleasing to see Babar develop into one of the world’s best, and I am sure the time he spent with Hafeez out in the middle would have given him more confidence and knowledge about the art of batting in big matches.

Hafeez not only enabled us to reach a total we were convinced we could defend, he also claimed the important wicket of Eoin Morgan with a peach of a delivery. If Hafeez maintains this form and Babar continues to show his flair to build on the solid start provided by the openers, this Pakistan team will go a long way in the tournament.

We brought in experienced Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali for the game. The prime reason of these changes was to put on a good total because the kind of wickets used in this World Cup demand big totals.

Once we managed a good total, we knew we could apply pressure on England, which we did successfully.

I used Shadab Khan in the first over and he repaid the confidence by dismissing Jason Roy. Hats off to Shadab who accepted the challenge of taking the new ball. He had not opened the bowling before in an ODI, but then this is the beauty of this team. Players are willing to take up the challenge and do anything that can help the team’s cause.

Joe Root benefitted from a dropped catch, but we did not read too much into it because this is part and parcel of the game. We just wanted to take wickets, and although Root and Jos Buttler put up a good partnership, we knew one wicket would change the complexion of the game.

When Root got out, we knew we were back in the game. The belief strengthened once we dismissed Buttler too.

All the frontline bowlers bowled well and they were well supported by the combination of Shoaib Malik and Hafeez, who between them returned impressive figures of 10-0-53-2 on the comparatively smaller ground.

Wahab and Amir showed the intensity and the determination to take wickets, the main reason why they were included in the World Cup squad in the first place. Hasan Ali was equally impressive although his final figures don’t do justice to how well he bowled. Shadab, as always, was a beauty.

I am sure our fans back home and those who are following us here in England will celebrate Eid in a happy mood. On behalf of the whole team may I wish Eid Mubarak to all our fans. I hope people will keep faith in us and we promise that we will do our best to keep the smiles on their faces and march on towards our aim, which is to win the World Cup.

What next? We must put the match against England behind us - like the one against the West Indies - and use it only as an inspiration and motivation for the upcoming matches. Our next game is against Sri Lanka in Bristol on Friday and we will try to keep the momentum going. This will again be a 10:30 start.

PCB Media