We are ready for England: Sarfraz Ahmed

Pakistan skipper believes team has enough potential to upset hosts

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has backed his players to perform well in the upcoming two-Test series against England.

The Men in Green who have already played a Test on the tour — against Ireland — will start the series as the underdogs, but Sarfraz believes team have enough potential to upset the hosts.

“Our preparations are great for the series and we are looking forward to it,” said Sarfraz, while talking to Daily Express. “The way we won against Ireland shows that our preparations are right on track. No doubt that this is a young squad, but we believe we can pull it off.”

Last time the Green Caps played at Lord’s was in 2016, with then skipper Misbahul Haq’s century and leg-spinner Yasir Shah’s 10-for guiding them to an inspirational victory.

But this time around, both Misbah and Yasir will not be present because of different reasons, and Sarfraz believes their absence will be felt.

“There is no alternative to experience,” he said. “But at the same time, we’ve some seasoned campaigner such Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq in the squad, who are sharing their experience with the youngsters and telling them to go out there and express themselves.”

Talking about Pakistan’s record at Lord’s, the Karachi-born wicketkeeper believes cricket’s historic venue is lucky for the visitors, and also expressed his desire to score a century and get his name on the leaderboard.

“Lord’s is a great venue for Pakistan,” he added. “We’ve had great results on this ground, so I am really optimistic about this match. Also scoring a century at a historic venue like Lord’s in Tests is every cricketer’s dream and I am really focused on doing that and write my name on the leaderboard.”