LAHORE: Acknowledging Afgha­ni­stan as tough opponents in the forthcoming ODI series, Pakistan head coach Grant Bradburn on Wednesday said the Mickey Arthur-led team management was looking to embrace aggressive stance in all departments of the game which would enable Babar Azam and company to play “winning cricket”.

Talking to reporters on the last day of the shorty training camp set up for the series against Afghanistan and the Asia Cup, which concluded here on Wednesday, Bradburn said the series against Afghanistan was equally important.

“We are only thinking of one match at a time. Presently, all we are thinking about is Afghanistan. They are a tough team whom we respect a lot,” Bradburn told reporters at the LCCA ground, Lahore.

“In modern cricket, we could not underestimate any team and so are Afghanistan.”

The 57-year-old Bradburn wants to see Pakistan play an aggressive brand of cricket when they start the build-up for the World Cup with the three-mat­ch series against Afghani­stan being staged in Sri Lanka from Aug 22-26.

It will be followed by the six-nation Asia Cup being jointly held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka before the World Cup in India, starting on Oct 5.

“We’re not looking to sit back and wait for bowlers to bowl badly, we’re looking to be aggressive,” the Hamilton-born Bradburn said on Wednesday, a day before the squad leaves for Sri Lanka.

“We are very clear around our starting XI; we are very clear around our batting approach. We are very clear around how we want to attack, particularly in middle overs.

“We believe that Pakistan haven’t been successful in the middle overs as well as we should be and we are working hard on developing some skills to really attack that [middle overs] period not only with the bat but with the ball and with our field placings as well,” the coach continued.

“We’re training to use our skills. We’re looking to use those skills in the game. It’s not a request from coaches to players, it’s a necessity for them to be in the team because that’s the way the game is moving forward globally … above all, we want to play winning cricket.”

Pakistan earlier this year showed signs of belligerence during the 4-1 ODI series victory over New Zealand at home and also in a 2-0 clean sweep against Sri Lanka in the Test series staged in July.

“You saw the way the boys played in Sri Lanka, and you can see the way they are playing here right now. So they are looking to play in an aggressive style, they are looking to use their skills, and that’s exactly what I’ll be demanding and what Mickey [Arthur] will be demanding that they bring out to the middle in Hambantota early next week,” Bradburn said.

Pakistan haven’t played white-ball cricket since last hosting New Zealand for the ODI series in April but most of the players selected for the series against Afghanistan are presently playing T20 white-ball league cricket.

Fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, alongside leg-spinners Shadab Khan and Usama Mir, played in The Hundred in England. Captain Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz and Iftikhar Ahmed featured in the Lanka Premier League in Sri Lanka.

“It’s good that some of the boys have been getting cricket in The Hun­dred and in the LPL,” Bradburn said.

According to the head coach, Pakistan were in search of a fast bowling all-rounder and for that purpose Faheem Ashraf had been included in the ODI squad and he was also doing well in death overs.

“Having someone like Faheem in the squad is good, we are hoping he will finish matches now,” he stated. “[Plus] we have [other] great options like Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz so we need to instill confidence in them.”

Bradburn was appointed Pakistan coach in May, nearly a month after South African Arthur was slotted in as team director by previous Pakistan Cricket Board Interim Management Committee chairman Najam Sethi.

Arthur, who is serving as head of cricket at English county side Derbyshire, will be with the Pakistan team during the series against Afghanistan and also for a few games of the Asia Cup before he travels with the team for the World Cup.

“Arthur will reach Sri Lanka on Aug 23 and he will stay with the team till the match against India [scheduled for Sept 2],” the head coach said.

Bradburn said he was very much “aligned” with Arthur to inculcate aggressiveness in the team.

“We’re one voice and we’ve been very good coaching associates and friends for a long time,” Bradburn said. “Mickey and I communicate daily … he’s very much part of the new direction that we’re wanting to take this team. We’re really looking forward to having Mickey on board, but for me, he’s on board every day anyway.”

The proposed aggressive approach of the team, according to Bradburn, has also got the approval of chief selector and former Pakistan batting maestro Inzamam-ul-Haq.

“The selection has been very clear and with Mr Inzi coming on board, it’s wonderful to have such experience … he’s very much aligned with the thinking of the current selection panel and we’re very comfortable with the line-up that we’ve selected,” Bradburn signed off.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2023