ISLAMABAD: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said on Friday that wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed has “started to come out of his shell” and is now playing his own game.

Sarfraz scored 76 runs off 64 balls, with ten boundaries, and helped Pakistan to a seven-wicket win in a chase of 136 in the first T20 against New Zealand in Dubai on Thursday.

“I think it's been a good seven-eight months that he has started coming out of the shell and is trying to play his own game,” Waqar, who is in Dubai told ESPNcricinfo. “He's a stroke-maker and he likes to play his shots and when he's free, when he's got less pressure on him, I feel that he plays a lot better than anybody else.

“Freedom has been given to him to play the way he plays. He is proving to be good for Pakistan, he has been in a very good nick, so it's good to take advantage of the form he is in,” Waqar added.

Sarfraz was promoted to the position of an opener in the absence of Ahmed Shehzad who is in the squad but still recovering from a head injury sustained during the first Test against New Zealand last month.

“Ahmed had been playing well, unfortunately he got hit and he had to return home, and ever since his return, he has not been well,” Waqar said. “So he hadn't played much cricket, that is why we decided to go for a makeshift opener.

“Ahmed is one of our finest openers, it is not that he will be ignored, probably in the one-dayers, when he recovers, he will retain his spot.”

Waqar said it would serve Pakistan cricket well if Sarfraz could keep contributing with the bat, a role Kamran Akmal promised to play before “fading away”.

Like Waqar, New Zealand wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi — who ensured New Zealand had something to bowl at with a cameo of 33 — had good things to say about Sarfraz. “The turning point was probably Sarfraz's innings, he batted really well through the entirety and ended up scoring 70 odd runs,” Ronchi said.

“That's the difference I think — we didn't have anyone scoring up to 50 runs, while Sarfraz anchored Pakistan's innings and batted his way through.”

Yousuf compliments Sarfraz's technique, temperament

Legendary batsman and former skipper Mohammad Yousuf rated Sarfraz as the most dangerous batsman for opponent teams and complimented his technique, tactics and courage.

“Sarfraz is the most difficult and dangerous batsman in Pakistan team and has shown a consistency in all brands of cricket,” Yousuf said while commenting on a private television channel on Friday. “He [Sarfraz] had proved his class and temperament and his batting has resolved the team's batting problems.”

Yousuf, an ace batsman himself, said Sarfraz possesses an attacking style in all forms of cricket and that will be beneficial for Pakistan in the upcoming ICC World Cup.

Sarfraz is enjoying a dream run in United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he also played a key role in Pakistan's success over Australia in Test series.