Youngsters and stability has served Pakistan well: Sarfraz

Dubai - Sarfraz has been the focal point of their amazing transition

Pakistan, in white-ball cricket, are riding a wave over the past few years and that has been all down to a young leader and a younger team.
Not long ago, Pakistan's performances, especially in ODI cricket, had been iffy, with them turning up for a contest and, sometimes not.
But every since Sarfraz took over at the helm, there has been a dramatic shift in their fortunes. Backed by the selectors and coaching staff, Sarfraz has put faith in young blood to see Pakistan through the next decade or so.
He has been an able leader to his men and they have responded remarkable well, clinching the ICC Champions Trophy from under the nose of India.
Their sterling show in England has given hope that they will be worth their weight at next year's World Cup.
And Sarfraz, who has been the focal point of their amazing transition, said stability and showing faith in young players is the key to building a side.
"We have a very young team now so our job is to give confidence to the young players," Sarfraz said at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
"Winning the Champions Trophy was a morale booster for Pakistan cricket. After that, we had a meeting with the chief selector and coaching staff and we decided to go with the same team. We don't want too many changes in the team. We have shown faith in the young players and they have the confidence now and are responding to it very well. Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, they are getting better day by day. So, because of these young players and the stability, our ODI cricket has improved and we are playing very good cricket," he added.
The Asia Cup, which begins from Saturday, will be a sort of a dress rehearsal to the World Cup in England, as the teams to iron out a few chinks.
And while Sarfraz said that, that would be the case, they still have some tough assignments to come against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
"As (India captain) Rohit (Sharma) said, we have to take it one match at a time and series by series. As far as the Pakistan team is concerned, we have a busy schedule ahead of us heading into next year. You could say that the journey to the World Cup is ongoing," said Sarfraz.
"But our focus right now is the Asia Cup and after that we have series against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. So, we will be trying to take it series by series and try and improve and get better over the course of it so that when we reach the World Cup, we will come to know where our team stands," added the 31-year-old.
Nonetheless, Sarfraz hoped that fans here in the UAE will get to watch some exciting and good cricket over the fortnight.
"First of all, it is a great opportunity for all the teams participating in the tournament and I wish them the best of luck. Hopefully, people can watch good cricket here. It will also be a great opportunity for the teams to go on and win the title," he said.

• Asia Cup 2019