Sarfraz Ahmed led Pakistan to 3-0 win against West Indies. (Source: AP)
Pakistan completed a 3-0 whitewash of a depleted West Indies side in the T20s. But more importantly for the hosts, it was another opportunity of showcasing cricket in front of their home fans. He also bestowed praise on his team-mates for the smashing handed out to West Indies.
“I have been hearing people say that a weak side has arrived for the series,” Sarfraz said. “The PCB did not ask anyone to send a weak team. We had asked West Indies to tour Pakistan. We played better cricket and credit must be given to our side. Our players deserve to be appreciated for their performances because they played exceptionally well. It would be wrong to say that a ‘B side’ had come. Eight players from this touring squad were part of the last West Indies tour. Four of them were part of the PSL. I don’t think this was a weak side. We played better.”
MUST READ | Najam Sethi hopeful of more international matches in Pakistan
In the past year, Pakistan have ended their barren run of cricket in the country by staging high-profile matches at two major centres – Lahore and Karachi. Pakistan had played host to a World XI, Sri Lanka for a T20 in Lahore and then Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches were held in Karachi. 100,000 people had turned up for the PSL final recently in Karachi.
“I don’t think teams have any excuses left for not coming to Pakistan anymore,” Sarfraz said at the post-match press conference after the series win. “Even today, the crowd turnout was massive, despite this match being the third game of the series. People of Karachi have proved to the world that cricket can be played in Pakistan, so the teams should not be looking for any excuses to not tour Pakistan. An ICC World XI side has come to Pakistan, we have had the PSL final [in Karachi], and before that Sri Lanka came to Pakistan. So I expect no team will be using security concerns as an excuse in the future. This year or the next year, [international] cricket will come back to Pakistan.”