LAHORE: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said on Monday that being underdogsin next month’s World Cup eases the pressure on his young team, who leavefor the tournament this week.
Pakistan will play three warm-up matches before taking on joint-hostsEngland in a five-match one-day series and a Twenty20.
The 1992 World Cup winners start their campaign against the West Indies inNottingham on May 31.
Sarfraz he would prefer his side to go into the tournament under the radar.
“Look, when we go as favourites, then it’s a problem, but if we go asunderdogs then other teams feel the danger, so I think being underdogs isgood for us and eases the pressure,” Sarfraz told a press conference inLahore before they depart for England and Wales on Tuesday.
Sarfraz, 31, was among five key players rested for the whitewash ODI seriesdefeat by Australia last month to freshen up the squad before thecompetition.
He was handed a four-match suspension in January by the InternationalCricket Council after he made a racist comment about South Africa’s AndilePhehlukwayo during an ODI.
All ten teams will play each other in the tournament starting on May 30with England taking on South Africa in the opening fixture. The top fourteams will qualify for the semi-finals.
The high-voltage clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India scheduled forManchester on June 16 promises to be one of the most tense of thetournament.
Pakistan and India, who both possess nuclear weapons, came to the brink ofall-out war recently after fresh sparring over the disputed region ofKashmir, adding to the intensity of the match.
But Sarfraz played down the hype, saying all games are important.
“For us all nine matches are important so we will take every match as amatch against India,” he said of Pakistan’s bitter rivals — who have wonall six of their previous World Cup clashes.
But Pakistan took the Champions Trophy against India in 2017 with astunning 180-run victory in the final.
“We have beaten India in a bigger event recently so we will have thatadvantage,” said Sarfraz.