'I use the street in front of my house for running' - Sarfaraz Ahmed working hard to stay fit

Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed hasn’t played international cricket since October last year. He was dropped from the team following consistent poor performances and since then Babar Azam and Azhar Ali have taken over as limited-overs and Test skipper respectively. However, Sarfaraz’s comeback chances increased recently after the head coach Misbah-ul-Haq revealed that he will travel with the team for the England tour.

Pakistan’s tour of England is reportedly going ahead amid the ongoing pandemic. Both the boards are working behind the scenes to make the tour possible even as the ECB is awaiting approval from the government. As of now, the teams are scheduled to lock horns in three Tests and as many T20Is from August 5.

And Sarfaraz Ahmed is training hard to keep himself fit for the series with Misbah confirming that he is being looked at as a second wicket-keeper in the squad after Mohammad Rizwan. The former also revealed that he has been using the street in front of his home as a track to run during this lockdown.

“Over the past few months, I have worked very hard to improve my fitness. These days I am continuing my physical training at my home. For running, I use the street in front of my house as a track,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. As far as his form is concerned, Sarfaraz Ahmed led the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and scored 148 runs in nine matches at an average of 21.14 and strike-rate of 128.69.

What did Misbah-ul-Haq say about Sarfaraz Ahmed?

Earlier, Misbah, in an interview to Youtube channel Cricket Baaz, had stated that the team will carry two wicket-keepers in the squad for the upcoming England tour. “Yes, it makes sense to take two keepers on this tour because where will we find a replacement in those conditions. Sarfaraz is obviously our choice,” he had said.

Moreover, he also cited the reason for dropping Sarfaraz Ahmed from the team after Pakistan faced whitewash from Sri Lanka in a home T20I series. “I felt that as time progressed Sarfaraz was feeling more pressure more so because of his own form which was suffering. It was a decision to give him a break so that he could rest and make a strong comeback. I am happy to see that he has worked very hard on his fitness and game. He is very much in our plans,” he added.