Sarfraz pins hope on Pakistan’s surprise package against Black Caps

Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed has revealed that Fakhar Zaman and Hasan Ali will be a surprise package for New Zealand side, as men in green added final touch to their preparations for first One Day International (ODI) to be played on Saturday.

“This is the first time Hasan, Fakhar, Rumman Raees and Shadab Khan will be playing in New Zealand. They are good players and will be a surprise package for the home side,” Sarfraz said, while addressing the media in Wellington.

“We are familiar with the conditions here and we will pass on our experience to the youngsters playing here for the first time,” the skipper said.

Sarfraz admits that Pakistan haven’t played that much cricket after Champions Trophy, but still hopes that the Green Shirts will give a good performance against the tough New Zealand side.

He said, “The wind is a huge factor in New Zealand and the match referee mentioned that winds at 120km/hr are expected tomorrow so hopefully we can adjust accordingly.”

The captain said bowling attack is the main strength of Pakistan. Sarfraz said he is hopeful that the bowling attack would be able to ‘restrict’ the New Zealand batting.

Taking about the playing XI for first ODI, Sarfraz said, “We have a good combination since winning the Champions Trophy. We will reveal the playing XI tomorrow.”