Ind vs Pak: Sarfraz worried about Amir’s dry spell

Dubai, September 18

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said he was concerned about the wicket-less spell of his strike bowler Mohammad Amir, as his side geared up to take on India in the Asia Cup.

Left-arm pacer Amir has not been amongst the wickets in recent times and his skipper was asked about it in the pre-match press conference. “I am concerned but I don’t think wickets itself are a reflection of the performance. Take for example, India pacer Mohammed Shami’s case in England. He bowled well but couldn’t get wickets. I have spoken to him (Amir) and told him that he is our strike bowler and has to pick wickets too. Hope he does that tomorrow,” Sarfraz said.

Sarfraz was also asked about Virat Kohli’s absence but he felt that India may not miss their captain in these conditions. “As a team to not have your regular captain is a factor. There could be a difference in the frame of mind. But they have enough players who have done well and the conditions are also the same for them. If conditions are adverse then a world-class player makes the difference,” Sarfraz said.

When asked about the challenge of playing in the extreme weather conditions, he said, “It is difficult in this weather and it should have been even for all the teams. I don’t know what the ACC thought behind the schedule. I have not spoken to anyone about it.”

Pakistan kicked off their campaign with a comprehensive win over Hong Kong, but India are going to be a different ball game altogether.

“Pressure is always there but we deal with it by telling ourselves that we should have the same intensity for every match. We take these matches normally but there is hype everywhere else, it does affect but we play it as just any other match,” he said. Sarfraz refused to call the game as a battle between India’s batting and Pakistan’s bowling. “India might have prepared for our bowling, we have planned for their bowling too. We are prepared and will execute our plans in the match. I don’t think it’s India’s batting versus our bowling, we have good batting too. They have got back-to-back matches but their schedule has started later than others. They would be under pressure because their performance coming into this tournament was not good,” he said.

Pakistan have played a lot in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in recent years. “People say it’s our home ground but conditions are even for all the teams; the weather is like that of the Subcontinent,” the captain said. — PTI

PAK PM TO WATCH IT

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to watch his country’s encounter against India, according to media reports in Karachi. Told about it, Sarfraz said, “Imran bhai has following all over. It would be nice for the fans and it would also be motivating for us.”

ODI records Pak 73, India 52

• Pakistan enjoys a huge advantage over India in terms of ODIs won, 73 wins to India’s 52 from 129 matches. The remaining 4 had no result (NR).
• India won 30 ODIS and lost 40 in neutral venues, such as UAE, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, etc.
• India have been more competitive in the 21st century, with 25 wins, 26 losses.