[VIDEO] "We won because we played better cricket" : Sarfraz Ahmed

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sarfraz Ahmed "the pitch was fine. We won because we played better cricket" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CT17?src=hash">#CT17</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/C74HBAgKxT">pic.twitter.com/C74HBAgKxT</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/875032369471909888">June 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sarfraz Ahmed "all the credit goes to the bowlers. Shadab took the key wicket of Root & all the others were great" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CT17?src=hash">#CT17</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/idMD6qkpZT">pic.twitter.com/idMD6qkpZT</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/875032860213817344">June 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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More from Saj Sadiq @Saj_PakPassion:

Sarfraz Ahmed "nobody really gave us a chance at the Champions Trophy but look at us now we are in the final"

Sarfraz Ahmed "I am so proud of all my players at this tournament especially the youngsters who have been superb"

Sarfraz Ahmed "best of luck to both Bangladesh and India. We'll take either of them on in the final" #CT17

Q. Sarfraz, congratulations. I wanted to ask about Hassan Ali, Obviously bowled very well. He appeared to be hobbling with a bit of an injury. Did he have an injury during the match or coming into the game.
SARFRAZ AHMED: No, I think he have a little bit shin problem, but he's okay and bowling extremely well for us.

Q. Sarfraz, congratulations, that was a great win. How did the pitch play?
SARFRAZ AHMED: I think the pitch was very good. I think both team -- it was good for both teams. I think we play very good. That's why we win today.

Q. Sarfraz, like, you lost the first match to India, and now you're in the final. Can you just take us through the journey from your head as captain from -- you know, over the last week?
SARFRAZ AHMED: After the first loss, we are very down, but credit goes to the team management. They boost up really well for us, and credit goes to the players as well. They motivated very well. And after that match, everything -- we bowling well, feeling well, and now today also batting clicking as well. So that's why credit goes to the bowlers and team management.

Q. After you won the totals and put them, what was your -- did you expect such a total you could bowl them out? And what did you tell your batsmen to go about this target?
SARFRAZ AHMED: Actually, I'm not expecting we bowl them out 210, but we expected today -- yesterday we came here, and we see that -- we had a meeting, and we thought, if we won the toss, elected to bowl first. And if we restrict them 260, 270 goals, that's why target is easy for us.

Credit goes to the bowlers. They bowled really well, especially in the middle part, starting with Shadab. They bowled really well. They took Joe Root. Then Hassan came in, and he took wicket. Then Junaid Khan, Rumman Raees -- all credit goes to the bowlers. They bowled really well.

Q. After that defeat by India, what did you say to the team to inspire them to play this well, or did the coach get you together and say something?
SARFRAZ AHMED: I think, we just talked about -- after the India match, we just motivated the guys. Don't worry about the India match. This is gone. We have two matches. If it we play good cricket, definitely we will win this tournament. Now we are in the finals.

Q. Sarfraz, it's been a lot of your younger players who have played a starring role, Hassan with the ball, Fakhar opening the batting. How pleasing is that for you, as a captain trying to build a new team, that it's been your younger players who have helped you so much?
SARFRAZ AHMED: I'm very happy about my youngsters performing, especially Hassan day by day improving, Shadab day by day improving, and now today Fakhar Zaman, he's playing in third match, and now he's batting just like a champion batsman. So I'm really happy about his performance. Hopefully, he will do well InShaAllah in futures as well.

Q. Sarfraz, is that the best game that you've played with in Pakistan? Is that the best they've played with in any of the ODIs that you've been involved in?
SARFRAZ AHMED: I think it was -- I think all three games is the best game when I was the captain. I think it was the best game. That's why, because, you know, we are in the semi-finals. No one recognised us. So I was very happy for my team performance, and all the credit goes to my team management and my players.

Q. How worried are you about Amir and his back? Mohammad Amir? Can he get back on the team after that performance?
SARFRAZ AHMED: I think he has a little bit of back spasm. Hopefully, he will recover for the finals.

Q. You bowled very well without him. You still need him?
SARFRAZ AHMED: Obviously, he's our main bowler. He's our best strike bowler. Hopefully, he will recover InShaAllah.

Q. Imad Wasim went off. Is there any news on him?
SARFRAZ AHMED: No, he's a little bit with a calf injury. I think he was okay.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Absolutely.We demolished England and handed them a phainty of epic proportions.

 

[Kianig89]

Shades of

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Yup. Also because we aren't chokers.

 

[bilalmasaud]

Shades of

i wish he had the calm posture of dhoni too! it unnerves me seeing how calm that dude is .. but i think calm doesn't work for pakistan team so i guess good he is not calm too lol

 

[Smbhayi]

that some brilliant reply

 

[Asif321]

he is backing all his players . he also told i have all the faith in these batsmen

 

[pakistan cricket fan]

Agree captain i am realy happy that you beat this arrogant english team.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

he is backing all his players . he also told i have all the faith in these batsmen

One of his best qualities is he backs and appreciate his players. Thats why you will never hear a bad word for Sarfraz even from domestic players and hes captained a lot.

 

[Madplayer]

sarfi rubbing it in

And glad that he acknowledged root's wicket because that was the TURNING POINT of the match. Thanks to Shadab.

 

[Syed1]

Sarfraz Ahmed "best of luck to both Bangladesh and India. We'll take either of them on in the final"


Wow wow wow


Sending shivers down a billion plus people. Ladies and gents, we have found him. We have found our next Imran.

 

[Madplayer]

Sarfraz Ahmed "best of luck to both Bangladesh and India. We'll take either of them on in the final"


Wow wow wow


Sending shivers down a billion plus people. Ladies and gents, we have found him. We have found our next Imran.

Hamara apna chota aur mota Imran.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

he is backing all his players . he also told i have all the faith in these batsmen

need to school this to

MISBAH tuk tuked a lot because of the lack of trust he had in his batsmen and he was right too... Trust your batsmen if you dont then drop them and bring someone who you can put ur money on to trust...

 

[waleed88]

need to school this to

MISBAH tuk tuked a lot because of the lack of trust he had in his batsmen and he was right too... Trust your batsmen if you dont then drop them and bring someone who you can put ur money on to trust...

Sarfraz is as good a captain as Misbah, but with a superior batting ability and skill..

Misbah has outfoxed Sarfraz as far as captaincy goes in two of the games both of them have played in the PSL... in both editions, and once in the final..

So for all his flaws Misbah is a more battled hardened, and shrewd captain than Sarfi, but Sarfi has a long way to go

 

[nads_rocks]

We bowled yorkers
We bowled short. Gave England taste of there own medicine.
We choked them with spin
We bowled fast and straight and accurate.
We played with heart and passion
We stopped the runs
We kept on attacking and stopped there flow of runs.
We held on to the catches and attempted some difficult ones.
We hit the stumps with a direct hit. We batted with intent.
We rotated the strikes with singles and doubles and triples.
We hit the boundaries We built the partnerships.
We put trust in the batsman and they all delivered and we won by 8 wickets chasing 212 with 13 overs to spare.

Today we saw the real PAKISTAN team turn up and destroy the English destructive batting!

 

[ExplicitAI]

Hope he demolishes whoever we face in the final.

 

[TahirFan]

"We won because we played better cricket" : Sarfraz Ahmed

The will beat any finalist if they play the way they played today

 

[Executioner]

No one can say Pakistan have gone to the finals by a fluke. well deserved

 

[Pete Rose]

three successive knockout matches is a good way to harden yourself for the final

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Sarfraz is as good a captain as Misbah, but with a superior batting ability and skill..

Misbah has outfoxed Sarfraz as far as captaincy goes in two of the games both of them have played in the PSL... in both editions, and once in the final..

So for all his flaws Misbah is a more battled hardened, and shrewd captain than Sarfi, but Sarfi has a long way to go

MISBAH was the most defensive captain of all... he will give the opponents to make a comeback to make a match out of anything... i hardly seen him kill a game when he was on top and his team is dominating...

he bats slow so that UA and SA can help him to do the powerhitting... Also he will not trust his batting lineup as he always foresee a collapse and try to play 50 overs rather than playing according to the demands of the match and the game...

yes he is battle hardened for tests, may be shrewd but the most reluctant to call changes and go with his gut feelings or whatever...

 

[UN talkz]

England must be burning and burning hard.....
Exactky Pakistan was way better than England today.....
and now this pitch drama just shows how mighty England are looking for a lame excuse...

 

[UN talkz]

"We won because we played better cricket" : Sarfraz Ahmed

The will beat any finalist if they play the way they played today

Whenever they will play as a team the opposition will hav to face the dust..... they surely ain't gonna win everyday but fighting till the last breath is wat we all will see if they continue to play as a team.

 

[Mag101]

Pakistan thoroughly deserved the victory, commiserations to England. Sarfraz expertly harnessed the potential of all his bowlers, yielded good results, the field placements were great, batting was steady- it was a sound display all-round.

However, the trophy has not been lifted yet, and without further ado I think the following team, could perhaps be a treat to watch in the final.

For the final I would play:

1) Azhar Ali
2) Fakhar Zaman
3) Babar Azam
4) Mohammad Hafeez
5) Sarfraz Ahmed
6) Shoaib Malik
7) Shahdab Khan
8) Mohammad Amir
9) Ruman Raees
10) Hasan Ali
11) Junaid Khan

 

[waleed88]

MISBAH was the most defensive captain of all... he will give the opponents to make a comeback to make a match out of anything... i hardly seen him kill a game when he was on top and his team is dominating...

he bats slow so that UA and SA can help him to do the powerhitting... Also he will not trust his batting lineup as he always foresee a collapse and try to play 50 overs rather than playing according to the demands of the match and the game...

yes he is battle hardened for tests, may be shrewd but the most reluctant to call changes and go with his gut feelings or whatever...

Call whatever you want, he was the reason our team did well in WC 2015, and was our best bat by a mile in CT 2013... two tournaments he has captained.. he had a small batting order, he had a tail starting with Umar Akmal... and a bowling lineup that never consistently bowled in the same team... from Rahat Ali to Umar Gul to Aizaz cheema to Irfan, none of them were long term stays.. alot of make shift bowlers in his era who never fully performed like our trio have for us here

 

[sa88]

Top post.

People need to remember the circumstances in which Misbah took over the team. Post Lahore attack and post match-fixing there were calls for Pakistan to 'take a rest' from cricket.

Need to appreciate his leadership in holding team together and the work he did in test matches.

We can appreciate this seeming re-birth under Sarfraz and Mickey without badmouthing Misbah who was instrumental in keeping Pakistan cricket alive during those dark years.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Call whatever you want, he was the reason our team did well in WC 2015, and was our best bat by a mile in CT 2013... two tournaments he has captained.. he had a small batting order, he had a tail starting with Umar Akmal... and a bowling lineup that never consistently bowled in the same team... from Rahat Ali to Umar Gul to Aizaz cheema to Irfan, none of them were long term stays.. alot of make shift bowlers in his era who never fully performed like our trio have for us here

yes exactly inconsistent selections, chances and choices added with MISBAH's defensive approach while batting and skill set of no strike rotation just tuk tuk is also a reason....His lack of trust and reluctant to bring new faces played a part too...

said in this thread

CWC'15 was the only tournament MISBAH played with authority, shrewdness and attacking with a young team... - See more at: http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...Haq-was-holding-us-back&p=9319954#post9319954

 

[waleed88]

yes exactly inconsistent selections, chances and choices added with MISBAH's defensive approach while batting and skill set of no strike rotation just tuk tuk is also a reason....His lack of trust and reluctant to bring new faces played a part too...

said in this thread

CWC'15 was the only tournament MISBAH played with authority, shrewdness and attacking with a young team... - See more at: http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...Haq-was-holding-us-back&p=9319954#post9319954

I fully disagree, before the CT 2013, no one would allow Hafeez,Malik, Kamran Akmal, and Imran Farhat to get axed... no one even considered Sarf as a keeping option after his failiure in the South African series... Sohail Tanvir was also a regular in the side...

You have to admit PSL has made a big difference, besides that nothing in our cricket suggest we are a modern batting unit, infact these are the same faces that all played under Misbah as well, but now with a different captain and a much improved bowling unit... with 1-2 yongsters here and there

Just a week ago, Sarf was accused of being friends with the 'renowned players' not benching them on bad performances

 

[ask_analyse_act]

I fully disagree, before the CT 2013, no one would allow Hafeez,Malik, Kamran Akmal, and Imran Farhat to get axed... no one even considered Sarf as a keeping option after his failiure in the South African series... Sohail Tanvir was also a regular in the side...

You have to admit PSL has made a big difference, besides that nothing in our cricket suggest we are a modern batting unit, infact these are the same faces that all played under Misbah as well, but now with a different captain and a much improved bowling unit... with 1-2 yongsters here and there

Just a week ago, Sarf was accused of being friends with the 'renowned players' not benching them on bad performances

U r trying to hide his inabilities as an ODI captain behind the success of PSL... MISBAH is also a major reason for his team performing poorly... he was reluctant to play new faces, promote himself to the top 4, back young talents , and failed to build a team in 4 years... he was the longest served ODI captain since INZI left yet he was miserable...he pinned his hopes on ajmal, hafeez and afridi on the spin trio knowingly that they will play in ANZ for the CWC... He never thought about developing a pace bowling all-rounder...also i rarely see him use part-time bowlers, he will always bowl the regular bowlers 10 overs how expensive they go...he does that in fear of giving more runs with a part-timer... he always looked to restrict the opposition by containing them and not by taking all wickets which is a fact..

moreover he was always trying to save his captaincy because of afridi waiting for his chance to grab it... If u dont forget the drama that was created just before the CWC'15 on who will be the captain...

modern game evolved to all teams after the 2015 CWC... before that not all teams where scoring 370+ and 400 for fun except in Indian roads and some roads in NZL and SA.....

 

[shane]

Fair comment from Sarfraz. I was disappointed to read about Morgan whinging about the pitch.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Top post.

People need to remember the circumstances in which Misbah took over the team. Post Lahore attack and post match-fixing there were calls for Pakistan to 'take a rest' from cricket.

Need to appreciate his leadership in holding team together and the work he did in test matches.

We can appreciate this seeming re-birth under Sarfraz and Mickey without badmouthing Misbah who was instrumental in keeping Pakistan cricket alive during those dark years.

Absolutely no doubt about it.. Only his way of approach to the game which was defensive was compared and criticized...

MYK captained the team post lahore attack and won the WT20' 2009

Afridi captained the team post match-fixing which was little tumultuous too but wasnt that defensive though he wasnt smart enough as MISBAH.

 

[Abdullah719]

The journalist complaining about the fielding.

 

[Umairee95]

'Hope Amir will recover for the final' -- Sarfraz

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said it would be a boost to have Amir fully-fit before Sunday’s final and that they way youngers are performing is good for the country’s cricket future.

“Hopefully, he will recover for the final,” Sarfraz said. “Obviously, he’s our main bowler. He’s our best strike bowler.”

“I think he has a little bit of a shin problem, but he’s okay and bowling extremely well for us,” Sarfraz said. “I’m very happy about my youngsters performing, especially Hasan who is improving day-by-day, Shadab has also and now Fakhar Zaman, he’s playing in his third match and now he’s batting just like a champion batsman."