Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed on Saturday rejected the perception that the West Indies team travelling to Pakistan for the three-match T20I series is weak due to the absence of big-name players, DawnNewsTV reported.

The wicketkeeper-batsman echoed PCB Chairman Najam Sethi's sentiments in today's pre-match presser, telling media men not to undermine West Indies or any other side in T20 format, where margins for victory are slim and any side can come out on top.

"West Indies are not weak," said Sarfraz. "[In fact], we cannot take any team lightly in the shortest format."

Sarfraz said he plans on using the series to try out new combinations for the busy season that lies ahead. However, he also made it clear that experimentation does not mean his team will not try and overpower the Calpsos each time the two teams clash.

"We have a lot of important series coming up before the World Cup so we want to make some new combinations with our youngsters," he said. "Having said that, we will go for a clean sweep because doing so will help us retain our number one spot in the ICC rankings."

The 15-man squad announced for the Windies series features several youngsters and first-timers, including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hussain Talat and Asif Ali.

Sarfraz urged the trio to repay the selectors' faith in them, saying: "They will have to prove that they were selected for a reason."

Sarfraz admitted that the strict security detail for Windies players would be a problem for the fans but urged them to be brave for the sake of the country.

"The people of Karachi should brave these issues and still come to the ground so that a positive message goes to the world," he said.

Sarfraz also said that the pace duo of Afridi and Rahat Ali will not feature in the series' opening match on Sunday as they've been rested.