'All the decisions were based on merits' - Ehsan Mani on Sarfaraz Ahmed's axing

Sarfaraz Ahmed was regarded as one of the rising stars of Pakistan when he led the U19 team to a historic triumph against arch-rivals India in 2006. Even though he made his debut in late 2007, it took him eight years to establish himself permanently in the Pakistan squad. Later, Ahmed also went on to enjoy a successful captaincy stint.

However, in October 2019, the Karachi cricketer was slowly shown the door by the national selectors due to Pakistan’s underwhelming results across formats including the 2019 World Cup. Meanwhile, former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani has opened up on the exact reason behind his axing.

His performances were dropping: Ehsan Mani

“There was not even a single instance where Imran [Khan] interfered in PCB matters and all the decisions were based on merits. Take the example of Sarfaraz, his performances were dropping and removing him from captaincy was not taken by Imran at all. We replaced Sarfaraz with Rizwan, who has been phenomenal from the get-go,” said Mani while speaking to Cricket Pakistan.

Apart from leading the Men In Green to their first and only ICC Champions Trophy crown in 2017, Sarfaraz was also responsible in leading Pakistan to 11 consecutive T20I series wins, a streak that started from the conclusion of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2016 and ended in early 2019 in South Africa. Pakistan were unsuccessful in winning any series on that tour.

Ever since getting dropped, Sarfaraz has been making sporadic appearances in the national team and even if he is selected for any tours, the he can be seen warming the bench on most occasions. It has been more than three years since the wicketkeeper-batter has not been a permanent member of the national team as Pakistan have groomed Mohammad Rizwan, who has established himself as one of their most valuable players. With Rizwan showcasing consistent performances, it is extremely difficult for Sarfaraz to stage a comeback.