Skipper Sarfraz always had faith in his charges

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has said that he always believed that his team could overcome England and reach the Champions Trophy final.
His team were up for the challenge from early on after electing to bowl first and were unlucky to have an early leg before shout turned down.
Pakistan would bowl brilliantly restricting the flow of runs and knocking England over for 211, a target they chased with ease.
The skipper says his team and management didn’t panic after the heavy defeat to India in the opening game.
Speaking after the match Sarfraz said: “After the India match, we just motivated the guys.
“Don’t worry about the India match. This is gone. We have two matches. If we play good cricket, definitely we will win this tournament. Now we are in the finals.
“No one recognised us. So I was very happy for my team performance, and all the credit goes to my team management and my players.”
The bowling attack exceeded Sarfraz’s expectations with Hasan Ali bagging three wickets while his fellow quicks Junaid Khan and debutant Rumman Raees claimed two scalps each.
The spinners kept things tight in the middle overs with big hitting Ben Stokes unable to find the boundary in over 60 balls.
The skipper added: “I was not expecting we would bowl them out for 210.
“Yesterday we came here, we had a meeting and we thought if we won the toss we would elect to bowl first and could restrict them to 260, 270. That’s why the target was easy for us.
“Credit goes to the bowlers. They bowled really well, especially in the middle part, starting with Shadab [Khan]. They took Joe Root. Then Hasan came in, and he took a wicket. Then Junaid Khan, Rumman Raees. All credit goes to the bowlers.”
The captain was thrilled with the performance of the youngsters in the team: “I’m very happy about my youngsters performing, especially Hasan who is improving day by day. Shadab is also improving day by day, and now today Fakhar Zaman. He’s playing in his third match, and now he’s batting just like a champion batsman. So I’m really happy about his performance.”
Latest
-
News
In pictures: Eoin Morgan’s international career with England
Morgan has played a record 248 one-day internationals.
-
News
The key moments in the reign of Eoin Morgan as England captain
Morgan has played a record 248 one-day internationals.
-
England
England captain Eoin Morgan set to announce international retirement on Tuesday
The 35-year-old led England to the 2019 World Cup title.
-
England
Jack Leach enjoying life in ‘extremely positive’ England set-up
Leach’s first 10-wicket Test match haul and half-centuries from Ollie Pope and Joe Root have left England on course for a 3-0 series win.
-
County Cricket
Hashim Amla and Ben Geddes hit hundreds as Surrey take control against Kent
The pair produced a third-wicket stand of 213 after the hosts were asked to bat.
-
England
Jack Leach career-best puts England on course for New Zealand series whitewash
Spinner Leach took 10 wickets in a Test match for the first time.
-
England
New-look England set for ‘exciting time’ as they gear up for South Africa Test
The absence of Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole has opened the door for new faces to make their mark.
-
England
England set 296 for series sweep as Jack Leach claims first 10-wicket Test haul
Leach finished with second-innings figures of five for 66 as New Zealand were bowled out for 326.
-
England
England thwarted by Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell again at Headingley
England drew a blank over the course of two difficult hours on Sunday.
-
News
Ben Foakes replaced by Sam Billings at Headingley after positive Covid-19 test
Foakes did not take the field on the third afternoon against New Zealand after complaining of back pain.