Wicketkeeper, batsman and skipper — Sarfaraz Ahmed is the only Pakistani captain apart from Imran Khan to have won an ICC trophy.
When his team beat arch-rivals India in the finals of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy (which, incidentally, was also hosted in England and Wales) Sarfaraz picked young players like Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman who today are some of the team’s best performers. An adept wicketkeeper, he equalled Adam Gilchrist’s record for most number of catches in a single World Cup innings in a 2015 match against South Africa.
THE WEEK’s deputy head of Delhi bureau, Neeru Bhatia, caught up with the Pakistani skipper before the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Speaking on his team’s preparedness for the World Cup, he said he was very satisfied. “Eleven players in the team were part of the Champions Trophy [2017] winning team.”
Though his team beat India in the Champions Trophy 2017, he wants to avoid dwelling too much on playing India, as it is a different tournament and format.
“If Pakistan has to win the World Cup, we have to beat all teams—not just India. I am sure all skippers think the same, including Indian skipper Virat Kohli.”
Just before the Pakistani squad left for England, the team met their country’s prime minister Imran Khan. Sarfaraz revealed the former cricketer’s advice: “He said to win the tournament and to beat big teams, the key would be to bowl these teams out. He said that he had only three bowlers to do so; He told us how he used available resources in the best possible manner.”
Sarfaraz adds that though this is the first World Cup for most of his players, the team has played a lot of ODI cricket together. “It will no doubt be a big moment for them,” he said.
The team’s performance has been unpredictable — and hence an uncertainty in winning this 50-over format. For the men in green, 2019 could well prove to be another 1992.
For the full interview, check out the latest issue of THE WEEK, on stands now!
