Dubai: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said Tuesday he is concerned at the wicket-less spell of his strike bowler Mohammad Aamir, as his side geared up to take on arch rivals India in the Asia Cup, here Wednesday.
“I am concerned but I don’t think wickets itself are a reflection of performance. Take for example, India pacer (Mohammad) Shami’s case in England. He bowled well but couldn’t get wickets,” pointed out Safraz.
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Sarfraz Ahmed
“I have spoken to him (Aamir) and told him that he is our strike bowler and has to pick wickets too. Hope he does that tomorrow (Wednesday),” Sarfraz told reporters here at the pre-match press conference.
Sarfraz was also asked about Virat Kohli’s absence but he felt that India may not miss their captain in the conditions prevalent here.
“As a team not to have your regular captain is a factor. There could be a difference in the frame of mind. But they have enough players who have done well for them, and the conditions are also the same for them. If conditions are adverse then a world class player makes a difference,” Sarfraz informed.
Pakistan kicked off their campaign with a comprehensive win over Hong Kong, but India are going to be a different ball game altogether. Sarfraz said that they were aware of the pressure going into the game, but were ready for the challenge.
“Pressure is always there but we deal with it by telling ourselves that we should have the same intensity for every match. We take these matches normally but there is hype everywhere else, it does affect but we play it as just any other match,” pointed out the Pak skipper.