Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed is confident of his team’s prospects in the Asia Cup after arriving in the UAE on Tuesday morning.
The wicket-keeper batsman and the rest of the 16-man squad departed from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal airport and is convinced his team can perform well in the six-team tournament.
“The team has prepared a lot for the tournament and we will try our best to perform well in all three categories,” Sarfraz said during a media interaction at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore on Monday.
All eyes will be on Pakistan’s clash against arch-rivals India on September 19 and Sarfraz wants his side to be in peak condition by the time the game comes around.
“Every match against India is extremely important. Momentum is very important, so we’ll try to generate momentum in the first game and go into the fixture against India thoroughly prepared,” he said.
Leaving for big battle @asiacup2018 need your support love and dua 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/x4POFtZL3Q
— Hassan Ali (@RealHa55an) September 10, 2018
The last time the two neighbours met, Pakistan thumped India by 180 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy final in London last year. Sarfraz believes that result will have no bearing when the two teams take to the field against each other at Dubai.
“That match is in the past. It was almost one-and-a-half years ago. So I don’t think we should consider it that much. All professional teams put the past behind and look forward. Both teams will do the same,” he added.
The event also features Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and qualifier Hong Kong. The wicketkeeper-batsman lauded the quality in all six teams and believes there will be no easy games in the tournament.
“I’ve seen all the squads and they’re all very strong, no team can be taken lightly. Teams will have to play very good cricket if they are to win the tournament,” the Pakistan captain said.
Pakistan, who have been placed in group A, will begin their campaign on September 16 against minnows Hong Kong at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
