ICC World Cup 2019 | Credit should go to Imad for the way he batted till the end, says Sarfaraz Ahmed
Sarfaraz Ahmed has praised Imad Wasim for the way he batted against Afghanistan and ensured that the team chased the target in a thrilling encounter yesterday. Sarfaraz has also added that all Pakistani bowlers are in good form which augurs well for the team in the next encounter.
Chasing a small target of 228 runs, Pakistan suffered yet another batting collapse and at one point, they were reduced to 156/6. The win was a distant colleague then but Imad Wasim kept his cool and guided the team to a much-needed victory. Sarfaraz Ahmed was impressed by the performance of the all-rounder and praised him for not being disturbed by anything else.
“It was not an easy pitch to bat on but, credit should go to Imad for the way he batted till the end. We know it is not easy (the chase) and their bowlers used the conditions very well. We have been batting very well, especially Babar Azam played very well and I think we needed a partnership in the middle overs, but in the end, we finished well. Everyone chipped in and I think it is a team effort,” Sarfaraz Ahmed said in the post-match presentation.
Pakistan’s qualification scenario is largely dependent on the result between India and England as a win for the hosts will make their qualification chance virtually impossible. However, Sarfraz said the team is not taking too much pressure about other results and the team is more focused to do better in their one game. He has also praised his bowlers for turning the table in the team’s favour.
“We all know that after four games, it won't be easy to win all the next four games, but we are taking it match by match. In the previous game, the way Babar Azam and Harris Sohail handled the pressure was really good and today the way Imad handled the pressure and in the end, Shadab and the way Wahab Riaz batted, I think his 15 runs were very important.
“We all know he (Shaheen Afridi) is a good bowler and he is improving day by day and I think he is working hard and he bowled really well today. All the other bowlers - Wahab, Amir, Shadab and Imad - also bowled well today and I believe all of them are in good nick. Obviously we all are watching (India v England game) but we are not thinking about it and hopefully, the better team wins,” Ahmed added.