We are better than our ranking suggests: Azhar Ali

The 31-year-old believes Ireland will not going to be an easy opponent for Pakistan

Pakistan ODI captain Azhar Ali believes his team is better than their current ranking in the one-day format.

Talking to reporters in Malahide before the  team's first match against Ireland on Wednesday, Azhar said the players were excited for the upcoming ODI series, and knew what they had to do to improve their rankings.

“Boys are excited for the ODI series,” he said. “We need to improve our skills and put performances consistently to improve our rankings.

“We know we are better than our ranking suggests.”

The 31-year-old argued that he wanted the team to play aggressive cricket, adding they were focused on showing improvement in fielding and batting.

“I want my team to play aggressive cricket,” he said. “If we want better results, the team will have to improve fielding, and score runs at a faster pace."

Azhar, who was appointed as the ODI captain after the ICC 2015 World Cup, believes Ireland will not going to prove an easy opponent.



“We are not taking Ireland lightly... they defeated us in World Cup 2007 and have actually defeated a strong team in every World Cup,” he said. “They gave us a hard time the last time we visited here."

The skipper added, “These two matches can prove to be good for the preparation of the upcoming five-match series with England.”