DUBAI: Pakistan team head coach Waqar Younis has said that wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed has “started to come out of his shell” and and is trying to play his own game.

Sarfraz smashed a 64-ball 76 with ten boundaries to help 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 [Sarfraz] has started coming out of the shell and is trying to play his own game,” Waqar said. “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 has been coming good for Pakistan, he has been in a very good nick, so it’s good to take advantage of that form he is in,” Waqar added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi lauded his team, particularly Sarfraz, for the seven-wicket triumph.

“It was a positive and aggressive decision to field first. The bowlers did well and then Sarfraz was outstanding,” said Afridi of his team’s 50th win in 84 Twenty20 Internationals.

New Zealand’s stand-in skipper Kane Williamson blamed the loss of early wickets for a v below-par total.

“There were things that went wrong, we lost early wickets and then couldn’t pick up wickets with the ball. But it’s great to have a look at all the players with so much cricket to come,” said Williamson.

Scoreboard

NEW ZEALAND:

M. Guptill b Afridi32

K. Williamson lbw b Anwar0

A. Devcich lbw b Sohail1

R. Taylor c Umar b Irfan4

C. Anderson c Saad b Raza48

L. Ronchi b Sohail33

J. Neesham c Umar b Irfan6

N. McCullum not out1

A. Milne not out2

EXTRAS (B-2, LB-1, NB-1, W-4)8

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 20 overs)135

FALL OF WKTS: 1-1, 2-10, 3-15, 4-61, 5-112, 6-128, 7-130.

BOWLING: Anwar 2-0-15-1; Sohail 4-0-24-2 (1w); Irfan 4-0-27-2 (1nb, 2w); Raza 4-0-24-1 (1w); Hafeez 2-0-15-0; Afridi 4-0-27-1.

PAKISTAN:

Sarfraz Ahmed not out76

Awaiz Zia run out20

Mohammad Hafeez run out2

Haris Sohail c McCullum b McClenaghan11

Umar Akmal not out27

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-1, W-2)4

TOTAL (for three wkts, 19.1 overs)140

FALL OF WKTS: 1-51, 2-60, 3-97.

BOWLING: Henry 4-0-31-0 (1w); McClenaghan 4-0-21-1; Milne 4-0-18-0; Devcich 2-0-19-0; McCullum 4-0-26-0 (1w); Anderson 1-0-17-0; Neesham 0.1-0-6-0.

RESULT: Pakistan win by seven wickets.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Sarfraz Ahmed.

UMPIRES: Ahsan Raza and Ahmed Shahab (both Pakistan)

TV UMPIRE: Shozab Raza (Pakistan)

MATCH REFEREE: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka).

Published in Dawn December 6th , 2014