England vs India 2018: Sarfraz Ahmed Explains why Pakistan Fared Better than India in England

Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed has attributed his team’s recent performance in England to practise matches while he has connected  India’s struggle in the five-match Test series so far to reluctance in utilising the warm-up fixtures to acclimatise.

Meanwhile, Pakistan returned with a 1-1 draw earlier this year when they toured England. Sarfraz noted that every Asian team tends to struggle in England due to severe conditions and India are no different.

“I have toured England twice and both times Pakistan team performed well. According to me, whichever Asian team travels to England tend to struggle. India is no different as the conditions there are really tough,” Sarfraz Ahmed said.

Pakistan toured England in 2016 under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq. Contrary to everybody’s expectation, they did a fair job finishing the series at 2-2 with wins at Lord’s and The Oval.

Sarfraz was part of the well-oiled squad which prepared for the grueling tour through a rigorous training camp.

Ahead of the first Test, Misbah & Co played two practise games and found a team to play another one after the second Test. This helped the Pakistani batsmen make use of the conditions on offer.

“I guess Pakistan’s preparations were good. If we are talking about my first tour there (in 2016), we had reached England 25 days before the start of the series. We had a 10-day camp and then played two practice games – which helped us immensely,” Sarfraz Ahmed reasoned.

Moreover, Pakistan played two practise games at the start of the series in 2018. They also played a Test against Ireland outnumbering them completely.

India suffering due to lack of preparations

In sharp contrast to their neighbours, India have entered the Test series with minimal training. The 2014 tour saw them squander a 1-0 lead due to lack of warm-up matches in between the Tests. England clinched the series 3-1.

A similar tale is unfolding as Virat Kohli & Co have already lost two games at Edgbaston and Lord’s. The batsmen have put in a disastrous performance stems from their refusal to play sufficient warm-up matches ahead of the series. Sarfraz Ahmed felt India should have played more games before the start of the series.

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In fact, the team management even reduced their only practice game against Essex to three days instead of the original scheduled four. With 2-0 down, India will have to come back at Trent Bridge starting on August 18 to keep their hopes of winning alive.