Pakistan was better than West Indies in all departments: Skipper Sarfraz
Abu Dhabi, Sep 29 (IANS) Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has said they outplayed the West Indies in every department in a 3-0 whitewash of the reigning world champions in the recent Twenty20 International series.
“We never imagined that we would win the series 3-0. They are the world champions and they are a strong team, conditions wise,” Sarfraz told reporters here on Wednesday, reports CMC.
“So, I would like to praise my team for the way they worked hard. Despite the humidity and other factors, the way the boys didn’t lose confidence. If you look on the field, we were better than them.”
“We fielded well, bowled well and took some good catches as well. So, the credit goes to the entire team.”
The West Indies were humbled in the two opening games in Dubai, losing the first game by nine wickets and the second by 16 runs.
In the final T20I here on Tuesday, the West Indies were once again sub-par when they batted, scraping together a disappointing 103 for five from their 20 overs, to eventually crash to an eight-wicket defeat.
Sarfraz said at no time did Pakistan relax after taking a 2-0 lead in the series, as the objective was always to pull off a clean sweep. This, he contended, was a sign the side was beginning to develop.
“When we were 2-0 coming to Abu Dhabi, our focus was that if we are to become a good team, we will have to bring in the consistency,” he explained.
“It is a new team and the way the new boys have responded, it is very good for them. We had Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Rumman Raees and Imad (Wasim) as well.”
“Even when you look at the senior players, the way Shoaib (Malik) bhai has responded, I think this is a good sign for the Pakistan team. There is a good combination that is working between the junior and senior players and I hope that in the immediate future too, this team will go on and perform well,” he added.
The success against the West Indies comes on the heels of their convincing victory over England in a one-off T20I in Manchester earlier this month and Sarfraz said even though the team was performing well, they were still a work in progress.
“Obviously we are doing well in all three departments of the game and one major focus of our game is the fielding,” he said.
“If you see, most times we lack in the fielding – some dropped catches, fielding lapses. So, the focus is on the fielding as well as the body language. Also, the boys are working on their fitness and it is improving. But we still need to work on all these elements and improve them.”