Gujranwala : Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said they would treat all matches in the ICC World Cup 2019 as a match against India. Pakistan leave for England this week, they will play three warm-up matches before taking on England in a five-match one-day series and a Twenty20 followed by the World Cup beginning from May 30.
The 1992 World Cup winners start their campaign against the West Indies in Nottingham on May 31.
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The high-voltage clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India scheduled for Manchester on June 16 promises to be one of the most tense of the tournament.
But Sarfraz played down the hype, saying all games are important.
“For us all nine matches are important so we will be considering 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.
Pakistan, however, took the Champions Trophy against India in 2017 with a stunning 180-run victory in the final.
“We have beaten India in a bigger event recently so we will have that advantage,” said the Pak skipper.
“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 the mediapersons before departing for England and Wales on Tuesday.
He said the theme of Pakistan’s World Cup mission is “we have, we will”, citing the team’s previous glories.
Along with the Champions Trophy two years ago, Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup and the 2009 World Twenty20.
