Misbah-ul-Haq reacts on how Sarfaraz Ahmed can make a national comeback

Just a week ago, there was a hullabaloo surrounding Pakistan Cricket and media after the PCB took the bull by the horns to remove Sarfaraz Ahmed from captaincy across all formats of the game. This bold decision by the board comes after Pakistan under the tutelage of Sarfaraz Ahmed failed to instil a success formula consistently. There is no hiding from the fact that he has been under fire for his inability to score runs and lead from the front.

He couldn’t redeem dignity with the recent outcomes. The most recent T20I series dreadful loss (0-3) and that too against a relatively inexperienced Sri Lankan side has caused its fans some angst and scepticism. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) learnt that there was no surge in the team’s development and had no option left but to sack Sarfaraz Ahmed.

To make things worse, Sarfaraz Ahmed was also dropped from Pakistan’s squads in both formats. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had a sleeker alternative in mind and the board named Azhar Ali as the Test captain, while Babar Azam was announced as the T20I skipper for the team’s upcoming tour to Australia.

Sarfaraz Ahmed should perform in domestic cricket

Though there was a lot of negativity surrounding Sarfaraz, Pakistan chief selector and the head coach Misbah-ul-Haq came to his defence to reveal exactly what was discussed behind the scenes. It is mainly down to the fact that Sarfaraz’s form factor has been detrimental to the team and not because he was a sub-standard captain and also nobody has or had any grudge against him.

“There are all kinds of strange theories in the media but it’s a simple thing which is about Sarfaraz’s form and the pressure he was playing under. It was on the basis of that the decision to remove Sarfaraz from captaincy was taken. I had a detailed discussion with PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan and Chairman Ehsan Mani on the same issue,” Misbah-ul-Haq addressed the reporters just before announcing team’s T20I and Test squads ahead of Australia tour.

Misbah expects Sarfaraz to restore his confidence in the form of domestic cricket. “Regarding a comeback, it’s straight-forward. Domestic cricket is taking place and it’s just a matter of regaining form. Once that happens, the doors are open. There is no conspiracy against him,” he added according to Pak Passion.

Pakistan’s Test squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed , Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah.

Pakistan’s T20I squad: Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz.

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~Written by Gurusai