Pakistan should stick to Sarfraz Ahmed as skipper till 2019 WC, says Moin Khan

Days ahead of the 14th edition of Asia Cup, former Pakistan captain and wicket-keeper Moin Khan on Monday urged his country’s cricket authorities to give current skipper Sarfraz Ahmed a long rope and make him the leader till the 2019 World Cup. The 46-year-old felt such an arrangement will enable the wicketkeeper-batsman to find the best team combination when the mega tournament arrives.

Ahmed has led Pakistan from the front over the past few years and won his side titles, including the Champions Trophy in 2017 by walloping arch-rivals India in the final. The 31-year-old also led Pakistan to win a triangular T20 championship in Zimbabwe in July defeating Australia in the final, besides blowing away the Africans 5-0 in a series in their backyard.

Make Sarfraz skipper till 2019 WC for Pakistan’s gain

“Sarfraz is a fighter who has led the national team superbly in all the formats so far. So I strongly recommend to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to announce him as skipper till the World Cup 2019 so that he is able to groom and build a winning combination of players for the mega event in England,” Khan was quoted by leading Pakistani daily Dawn as saying.

Moin, Pakistan’s most successful gloveman in ODIs with 287 dismissals, praised Sarfraz saying the latter succeeded in instilling a fighting spirit into his team and that was showing in the Men in Green’s tough approach while taking on all opponents on the field. A veteran of 69 Tests and 219 ODIs, he was a member of a similar fighting unit that won Pakistan’s only World Cup till date under the inspiring leadership of Imran Khan in 1992.

“I have seldom seen our team making so many good comebacks that they have done in all formats of the game in recent times. The manner in which we bounced back to win the Champions Trophy in England last year, and then again in the final against Australia in the tri-series in Zimbabwe last month was a treat to watch,” Khan said.

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