Asia Cup 2022: We Know The Conditions In The UAE Very Well: Sarfaraz Ahmed Ahead of India-Pakistan Game
On August 28, a highly anticipated men’s Asia Cup 2022 match will pit India against Pakistan. When the two teams last faced off, Pakistan defeated Virat Kohli’s team by a margin of 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup.
Since then, India has undergone significant change. Rohit Sharma took over as captain from Virat Kohli, and this year saw several additions to India’s bowling strength and an increase in batting order experimentation.
India has enjoyed a successful run in the shortest format since returning to international competition following the Indian Premier League, defeating England and the West Indies on the road and drawing 2-2 with South Africa at home (the decider match was abandoned due to rain).
Pakistan, on the other hand, has only participated in one T20I match in 2022 (against Australia in April), where the team suffered a three-wicket loss. Sarfaraz Ahmed, a former captain of Pakistan, thinks his team will triumph over India next week when they square off in Dubai.
Pakistan Has Experience Of Playing In The PSL And Home Series In UAE: Sarfaraz Ahmed
Pakistan, in Sarfaraz’s opinion, has a better understanding of the conditions in the UAE despite India’s recent strong cricket performances.
“The first match of any tournament sets the tone of the campaign. Our first game is against India. Definitely, our morale would be higher because when we met the last time, Pakistan defeated India at the same venue.
“Pakistan know the condition very well because we have played PSL here and many home series as well. Yes, India have played in IPL here but they don’t have that much experience of playing in these conditions,” Sarfaraz said in an interaction with Sports Paktv.
“It is important for Pakistan to have a fit Shaheen Shah Afridi. If you look at their current team, they have been playing good cricket. But our team, especially in the shortest format, have been playing good,” he further added.
Ahmed was Pakistan’s captain when they won the Champions Trophy in 2017.
