KARACHI, Sep 19(ABC): Pakistan cricket team’s flamboyant batter Asif Ali has said that he aims to improve his match-finishing abilities during the upcoming seven-match T20I home series against England, starting tomorrow (September 20).
In an exclusive interview with Geo News, Asif said that his goal during the white-ball series against the visiting side is to make himself able to do things he wasn’t able to do during the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022.
“Everyone is excited for this series,” Asif Ali told Geo News after his training session at the National Stadium, Karachi.
“The series will also provide us [a] good opportunity to prepare ourselves for the T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be held in Australia next month,” the middle-order batter said.
He said he is focused on his goal and aiming to do what the team wants him to.
When asked what his goal would be during the series, the 30-year-old cricketer hinted that he is working to further improve his match-finishing abilities.
“As I was unable to finish properly during Asia Cup, I am trying to overcome this lacking and improve my finish. I am working hard and discussing with coaches [on how] to work on this,” he mentioned.
Asif said he is trying to emulate the match situation and coming late to the nets, which allows his body to cool down enough after warm-up as there would be a similar situation during matches.
“This practice is aimed at helping me prepare to power hit as soon I step on the field,” he added.
Asif, who has represented Pakistan in 21 ODIs and 45 T20Is, said that his batting position is usually under a situation of pressure, but that that is what cricket is all about.
“I usually come to bat at a situation when you need an average of 12 to 14 runs per over. Sometimes, I get to bat only in the last over of the game. Nevertheless, I always try to learn from my previous games and focus on how to improve things for future games,” he said.
Asif said that he is aiming to prepare well for the upcoming T20 World Cup as conditions there can be helpful for batting.
“I am hearing that [the] situation will favour the batters there. We’ll also play in New Zealand which will allows us to adjust quickly as well. I’ve played a couple of games in Australia before, though I couldn’t score in [the] past, this time I will prepare myself well for the tournament,” he concluded.