Sarfraz Ahmed wants team to train harder than ever

Pakistan captain urges teammates to be in their best shape for New Zealand tour

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan's all-format captain Sarfraz Ahmed is not planning to rest on his laurels and wants his side to train as hard as they can for the upcoming tour of New Zealand despite being the top-ranked side in ICC's T20I rankings.

Sarfraz and co have had a memorable 2017 as far as limited-overs cricket is concerned, defeating West Indies in the Caribbean, winning the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in the summer before back-to-back hammerings of World X1 and Sri Lanka at home.

The team's 4-1 series ODI defeat in difficult Australian conditions at the start of the year remains the only blemish on their 2017 record in ODI or T20I cricket.

It's clear to see that Pakistan cricket is on the rise, and while Sarfraz is content with the results, he is not the kind to sit back and relax when the tricky tour of New Zealand is just around the corner.

“Me and my team are really happy to become the top-ranked T20I side," Sarfraz told The Express Tribune. "It is a great achievement, which came after the hard work of a year but we still have to work harder for the next series.

Sarfraz's emphasis on hard work stems from his firm opinion that his team's impressive showings this year would mean nothing in New Zealand.

"We need more practice and need to work on our fitness so we can be at full-strength [against the Kiwis]. We are currently playing the National T20 Cup, which will keep the fitness of the players to a decent level but more needs doing,” he added.

Sarfraz's men were upset by Sri Lanka in the Test series, but since his men will only be playing limited-overs cricket in New Zealand, he says he is confident of getting the results.

“Except for Test matches, we did really well in the series against Sri Lanka, but as we are going to New Zealand for ODI and T20I series, we are hopeful to perform well," said the 30-year-old skipper. "I am optimistic that if we play with the right combinations, we will come back home with the victory."

But Sarfraz knows real well that to turn that hope into actual results, his side's fitness needs to be top-notch, something he says is high up on his agenda.

“When you go to play away from home, the conditions are always difficult and in favour of your opponents," he said. "Hence, we are working hard on our fitness.

Fearsome but loved

Sarfraz has a reputation for being an aggressive captain, whose passion sometimes harvests into tongue-lashing for his teammates.

In his defence, the captain says he does it only for the greater good of the team and that his victims take it as that too.

“Almost all of the players are asked about my anger and I am glad that they understand me and support me on and off the field," he said. "It feels good to know that your team supports and understands your intentions. This is the reason we have such a good environment in the dressing room. All the players understand each other."

PSL plans

Sarfraz has been the losing finalist in each of the first two editions of the Pakistan Super League. But those twin defeats were more down to luck than anything, which is why the Quetta Gladiators stalwart says their modus operandi will remain the same in the T20 tourney's next instalment too.

“We made the finals both the times [so this time too] we picked the best available players and looked for the right combinations," he said. "Like last time, we will target the play-offs then the final before trying to go one better."

Sarfraz also strongly denied speculation that the Gladiators picked youngster Azam Khan because him being the son of former cricketer Moin Khan, saying: “Azam has been performing [well] in domestic cricket and Ramazan tournaments. He is pure T20 material, for which he was picked and once he plays in the PSL I don’t think anybody will question his selection."