AFP, KARACHI: New captain Sarfraz Ahmed will face his stiffest test yet when he leads unfancied Pakistan in the Champion's Trophy -- starting with a highly-charged clash against India.
After qualifying by the skin of their teeth, Pakistan will need to overcome serious batting deficiencies to be competitive following their struggles in the one-day format in recent years.
Pakistan's tournament in England starts with the toughest of games against arch-rivals India, the defending champions, in Birmingham on June 4. They are looking to halt a slump that began with a first-round exit from the 2015 World Cup, prompting all-rounder Shahid Afridi and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq to exit the one-day scene.
Test specialist Azhar Ali then led Pakistan to an embarrassing 3-0 whitewash in Bangladesh and 4-1 reverses to both England and Australia before Sarfraz was handed the reins.
The wicketkeeper-batsman is credited with injecting new energy after winning three of his first four games, two against the West Indies and one against lowly Zimbabwe.