Pakistan bowling attack one of the best in the world, says Sarfraz Ahmed

According to Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, the team’s bowling attack has become one of the best in the world as proved by their 4-0 series scoreline against Sri Lanka and consistent performances since the 2017 Champions Trophy.

Speaking to the media after his side completed a seven-wicket drubbing of Sri Lanka on Friday, Sarfraz credited the success to the contributions of Hasan Ali, who has climbed to his career-best No. 1 ranking, along with regular wickets from Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan and Rumman Raees. Though Mohammad Amir has been spearheading the attack, he has been unavailable firstly because of the birth of his first child, followed by a shin injury.

Pakistan’s recent performances do testify the potency of their attack. The last defeat they faced as an ODI side was in the opening game against India in the Champions Trophy. Since then, they have beaten South Africa, England, India and Sri Lanka. Not only has their bowling become more economical since then, they have also embraced a more attacking approach in the limited overs format, something that was seen missing when they had slipped to the lower half of the ICC ODI rankings before the Champions Trophy.

When asked if he considered his bowling attack as the best in the world, Sarfraz said “Yes, you can say that. The way the bowlers have been performing since the Champions Trophy, we have bowled teams out for 240-230 and then chased them down well. Here, too, we are bowling well and chasing well. We should praise the bowlers, especially Hasan Ali, who is improving day by day. He is now the world No. 1 so I wish he keeps that and does well to win us matches. Shadab is doing well and so have Usman Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Rumman Raees and Junaid Khan. The bowlers are doing well and importantly our bench is getting strong.”

Hasan’s growth as a bowler

Hasan’s revelation as a bowler this year has boosted the team’s performance. The 23-year-old is currently the highest wicket-taker of 2017 and has three five-fors in the year, the most for any bowler. He was also Player of the Series at the Champions Trophy with 13 dismissals. In four matches against Sri Lanka, he has taken 12 wickets and Sarfraz lauded the bowler’s mindset and his commitment to self-improvement.

“The best thing is that he bowls in an attacking manner, he tries to take wickets, tries learn with Azhar Mahmood [Pakistan’s bowling coach] and does his homework, asks other players how to bowl,” he said, as reported by ESPNCricinfo. “He asks me and my target is to get wickets through him. He attacks, and with every wicket, he is getting better and better.”