Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said on Monday that being underdogs in next month’s World Cup eases the pressure on his young team, who leave for the tournament this week.
The 1992 World Cup winners start their campaign against the West Indies in Nottingham on May 31.
“Look, when we go as favourites, then it’s a problem, but if we go as underdogs then other teams feel the danger, so I think being underdogs is good for us and eases the pressure,” Sarfraz told a press conference in Lahore before they depart for England and Wales on Tuesday.
Pakistan and India, who both possess nuclear weapons, came to the brink of all-out war recently after fresh sparring over the disputed region of Kashmir, 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 a match against India,” he said of Pakistan’s bitter rivals — who have won all six of their previous World Cup clashes.
