Tim Southee: “We knew from the nature of the surface that things could happen late in the Test, Sarfaraz was probably the difference, we could’ve won had we got them earlier”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
New Zealand Test captain Tim Southee said Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed was a real difference maker when the two sides clashed in a Test series from December to January.
Making a comeback to the longest format, Sarfaraz put up a performance to remember as he amassed 335 runs, which included a century and three fifties, at an average of 83.75.
Southee was particularly impressed with the 35-year-old’s batting in the second Test as Sarfaraz struck a career-best 118, which came off 176 balls and included nine boundaries and a six.
“We knew from the nature of the surface that things could happen late in the Test, Sarfaraz was probably the difference, we could’ve won had we got them earlier,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Most recently, Sarfaraz was involved in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he led the Quetta Gladiators.
In the eight matches he played, he accumulated 162 runs in eight matches at an average of 27 and a strike-rate of 104.51.
The Pakistan team recently played three T20Is against Afghanistan in Sharjah, but lost the series 2-1.
Their next assignment will see them take on New Zealand in five T20Is and five ODIs on home soil from April to May.