Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed believes the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand will be a tough one.

Speaking on the eve of the first Test in Abu Dhabi, the wicketkeeper-batsman said both teams are well-matched and that the visitors are expected to be a tough opponent.

“I believe the Test series against New Zealand will be extremely tough because they have a really good side,” said Sarfraz. “They’ve really good bowling and batting departments. They played competitive cricket in the preceding T20I and ODI series and we except the same in the Tests as well.”

Talking about the team selection for the game, Sarfraz hinted that young left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi might get a chance, but also revealed that there will not be too many changes from the side which defeated Australia in the team’s last assignment in the five-day format.

“We will decide our team combination by looking at the pitch on the day of the match,” he said. “But there won’t be many changes as we only have to decide about one or two players. Shaheen has been included in the squad so that he can continue to work on his bowling with Azhar bhai. We will include him in the playing eleven if he is required but we are keener on using him during the tour of South Africa.”

Sarfraz also backed leg-spinner Yasir Shah to lead the Men in Green’s inexperienced bowling attack in the series against the Black Caps.

“Yasir Shah is fully fit and we will once again rely on him as our main strike bowler,” he said. “He did not bowl particularly well during the two-Test series against Australia but it was his comeback series, so he looked out of sort. But his performance in the final innings of the series showed that he is getting back in to form.”

Talking about the opposition’s strength, the 31-year-old believes the Black Caps have a potent bowling attack and the home side will be wary of giving wickets early in the innings.

“New Zealand have a good bowling attack which is why we will need an effective strategy to counter that,” he said. “We will try to ensure that they don’t pick up too many wickets early on.”

There were few eye brows raised when the selection committee dropped opener Fakhar Zaman for the series, more so after he scored back-to-back half centuries against Australia on his debut.

But Sarfraz revealed the decision was taken to give the left-hander a much-needed break to recover from the knee injury.

“Zaman was brought in the side as replacement for Imamul Haq but he is still in our plans bearing in mind the South Africa tour,” he said. “He had some knee issues which is why he is rested for this series.”