Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter and former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is confident of winning the upcoming three-match Test series against Australia, starting on December 14. Pakistan have never won a Test series against the Aussies in Down Under since the start of their bilateral tours in 1956-57. In the last Test series in Australia, the hosts clean sweeped Pakistan 2-0 in the two-matches series in 2019-20.
Ahead of the World Test Championship battle in Perth, Pakistan are set to play a four-day game against Australia PM's XI at Canberra from December 6.
"Our target is to win the series while the individual goal is to give the best in batting and keeping whatever the opportunity is given. When you play cricket, you are prepared for whatever role is given to you. Rizwan and I will try to fulfil whatever role is given to us," Sarfaraz said.
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Sarfaraz said Babar Azam is actively sharing his leadership skills with new Test captain Shan Masood. Babar stepped down from Pakistan all format captain after the dismal ODI World Cup campaign in India last month.
"It's always an honour to lead your country, and I want to congratulate Shan Masood for his role. The camaraderie between Babar Azam, Muhammad Hafeez, and Shan Masood is a testament to the strong bond within our camp. Babar's role has also been very good as I observed in the camp. He is very involved in the team and he helps the skipper in making plans for the team," Sarfaraz said.
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The wicketkeeper praised the Australian batting line-up but backed Pakistan batters to challenge them on their home soil.
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"Australia boasts good batters, but we are no less. With Abdullah, Babar, Imam, Saud, and Agha in our ranks, we are well-equipped for the challenge," he said.
Sarfaraz praised the quality bowlers in the squad and said, "Shaheen and Hasan are exceptional, and we have the likes of Mir Hamza, Khurram Shehzad, and Fahim, who have proven their mettle in domestic competitions."
Australia's squad for First Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner.
Pakistan squad for Australia Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi.