Sarfraz Ahmed believes bringing cricket back to Pakistan will help youngsters

With preparation for International cricket’s return to Pakistan is going on in full swing, the country’s newest hero Sarfraz Ahmed has welcomed the initiative warmly as it will serve well for the country’s cricket as well as the fans who have faced the drought for close to a decade.

The World XI squad will tour Pakistan for the three-match T20I series in September this year before Sri Lanka and West Indies are also more or less confirmed to visit the country for bilateral series. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also named the team today and South African skipper Faf du Plessis will be leading the tour party.

“It is good news that the World XI will be visiting Pakistan next month [for three T20 matches]. Similarly, arrival of Sri Lankan team [in October] and then that of West Indies [in November] are also important for Pakistan cricket and its fans,” said Sarfraz.

On Monday, the revival of international cricket in Pakistan received a major boost when Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi revealed that Sri Lanka and West Indies boards had given their approval to visit the country for T20 games on succeeding to get the approvals to host the World XI matches. The skipper believes that it would be a golden chance for the young Pakistan players to play international matches in front of their home crowd which would in turn also help in boosting their morale.

“Our youngsters will get a golden chance to play international matches [against World XI, Sri Lanka and West Indies] before their home crowd which will definitely boost their morale and confidence level,” Sarfraz said.

In a recent press conference, Najam Sethi mentioned: “Prominent cricketers will be part of the World XI side coming to Pakistan. Therefore, I am expecting close competitions against them,” he further said.