Pakistani batsman Mohammad Hafeez has said that the team’s first-ever win in South Africa elevated the morale of the Pakistani team which helped them to beat Sri Lanka in the current five-match series.
Pakistan won by eight-wickets in the fourth match in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday,taking an unbeatable lead with the fifth match on Friday left trivial.
The victory gave Pakistan their seventh one-day series win in the calendar year, beating their record of six one-day series win of 2011.
According to HAfeez, the team carried the confidence it achieved in the win in South Africa last month.
“The confidence we got from our South Africa win helped us in this series,” said Hafeez after Wednesday’s match.
“It was a big motivation to win in South Africa for the first time and we carried that momentum here.”he added.
Hafeez scored another match-winning 113 not out in Pakistan’s successful chase of 226-run target, his third hundred in the series.
Hafeez admitted he was under pressure before the series, having scored only 147 in his last eight matches.
“There is no doubt that I was under pressure and there were suggestions that I bat lower down the order, but my captain and the team staff gave me the needed confidence and it helped me a lot,” said Hafeez.
