Breaking : Sarfaraz removed as captain from all 3 formats.

[Hyde]

Sarfraz hasn't performed in single match since last 2 years or so. He should have been sacked before the World Cup

 

[war&peace]

Sarfraz hasn't performed in single match since last 2 years or so. He should have been sacked before the World Cup

Our cricket board (or whatever is the name of management) has been sleeping. Pakistan lost the cricket world cup due to bad management and I think PM IK is also responsible for that.

 

[Crystal-Clear]

paindu giri.

 

[I S I]

Good decision but not gonna help Pakistan cricket team in anyways. Its already doomed.

 

[Wrath]

JUST IN: Sarfaraz Ahmed has been removed as Pakistan's Test and T20I captain. Azhar Ali and Babar Azam will replace him.

Source : PCB

That's two formats ? Aren't they ?

 

[Sine Nomine]

paindu giri.

Its not about cricket its about grouping and making captain from same province for all format.
Otherwise why umar akmal came back? Ahmed shahzad back?

Wise ppl are not blind

 

[Shane]

JUST IN: Sarfaraz Ahmed has been removed as Pakistan's Test and T20I captain. Azhar Ali and Babar Azam will replace him.

Source : PCB

Good.mm.he needed to go for a run anyway. Now he will be dropped. Every man should have to fight for his place. I also think Misbah is crap he should be fired

Now misbah is back with his running politics. All will be left akmal brothers back. Kamran akmal will be captain. One can clearly see who make groups all the time.

Anyone who is not performing, should be let go of the responsibility.

Odi captain?

Sarfraz cannot survive the Australian test series his batting technique is not good at all. Wonder if they still keep him as a player or who would replace him as wicket keeper batsman? Rizwan ki eid hogaye

Misbah politicising the crap out of PCB.

Guys, we are indeed a thank less lot who are brutal towards "Match winners" and honest perfomers "playing for Pakistan" without looking at the politics being played against them by those who do politics in team and "play with Pakistan"...

No doubt that Sarfaraz was needed to be removed from T20 for now due to lack of performance ( even despite politics against him).

He has been a match winner and top performing wicket keeper as well as captain to win most consecutive series than any other captain in history.

Removal from T20 should have been a wakeup call for Sarfaraz to up the performance or be removed from ODI too.

Then he should have been removed from test captaincy if he still failed to perform in tests also.

This is what I posted yesterday...

Misbah and Waqar Younus wanted to replace Sarfaraz when Misbah was captain and whenever Waqar used to be coach/bowling coach...

Sarfaraz stayed ahead of the duo's game by performing out of his skin...but now his performance has suffered.

The 2014-15 season turned out to be a fairytale one for Sarfaraz. He notched up an away ton against Lanka, and tons against Australia and New Zealand in consecutive Test series. Even away tours to England and Australia were a good for Sarfaraz as he kept well and batted doggedly.

Initially Sarfaraz was completely ignored by Waqar as a first choice keeper in favour of Umar Akmal for the first part of the 2015 World Cup, Sarfraz was at last reluctantly promoted by Waqar due to pressure from PCB to open in a must win game against South Africa and he delivered with a gutsy run-a-ball 49. His exploits won him the Man of the Match award and he repeated the feat with his maiden century against Ireland in the very next game.

These were the performances that exposed those who were against Sarfaraz.

Now that the Duo of Misbah and Waqar are sitting on top of Sarfaraz, they have and they will keep subjugating him to their decisions which would mean more losses if not enough already...to get Sarfaraz sacked from each and every format.

The new keeper will be the below par, under performer favorite of Misbah/Waqar in Mohammad Rizwan...who has zero match winning performances in PSL, let alone for Pakistan at international level...ZERO...But he is still favorite of Misbah and Waqar.

Until Sarfaraz gets kicked off from the team by Misbah and Waqar, Pakistan would keep losing matches due to obnoxious selection and management decisions...

Unfortunately for Sarfaraz, he himself is none the wiser and a subjugate to management decisions and hardly asserts himself...
​

Well done PCB, keep honouring your heros as if they are dirt, and keep promoting and rewarding dirty politics.

 

[Yaseen1]

 

[W.11]

some people are celebrating removal of sarfraz, but azhar ali who had replaced him esp in test has been tried and tested failure who was selected as the captain on misbah's reference and sarfraz was sidelined, azhar's captaincy proved to be a major failure after which sarfraz was given the role.

i think misbah is selecting his favourite team again and bringing back his favourites, as a selector which shouldn't happen, as a captain he was allowed to choose his team and legacy, but the guy is just being dictator and restoring his status quo which he left as a captain.

I dont think axing sarfraz will do any good, the policies of management should have changed as PTI govt came which proved to be disaster after najam sethi, its no surprise that change in management led to disaster we are experiencing today.

regards

 

[Areesh]

Our cricket board (or whatever is the name of management) has been sleeping. Pakistan lost the cricket world cup due to bad management and I think PM IK is also responsible for that.

Making misbah both coach and selector was the worst decision

The guy had no experience of coaching any team and he is given so much power where he would be both selector and the coach

Bad days for Pak cricket ahead. And this shouldn't happen under IK as PM

 

[war&peace]

Making misbah both coach and selector was the worst decision

The guy had no experience of coaching any team and he is given so much power where he would be both selector and the coach

Bad days for Pak cricket ahead. And this shouldn't happen under IK as PM

Yup, no one should be given full authority until proven but again I'm not expert on cricket and don't know the capability of each player however I know this Sarfraz was not performing right? And he was the capt during the WC as well and we all saw Pakistani team performance was dismal. There was no discipline, players were dining out late night before crucial matches and partying....and what I remember that Misbah was not in picture.. so Misbah is not responsible for the bad performance of Sarfraz. But I can't say surely if Misbah would be good or bad but he is known to be some of the better captains.

Rest as I said IK should have personally taken interest in this and used his experience and talent to improve the performance of the cricket team. It won't have any effect on the governance but given the fact that our nation is emotionally attached with this game and winning the world cup or at least performing reasonably good would have delivered a positive message to the people. But I give him a benefit of doubt because he faced so many issues especially related to economy, security, political instability, bureaucracy / establishment not cooperating, Gangadeshi conflict etc so I can understand... But I hope that now good decision are taken so the team improves before the next world cup.

 

[ghazi52]

Sarfaraz Ahmed sacked as Pakistan captain; Babar Azam, Azhar Ali named new T20, Test captains

LAHORE: Azhar Ali has been appointed national cricket team captain for Pakistan’s World Test Championship matches in the 2019-20 season, while Babar Azam has been named captain of the No.1 ranked T20I side until next year’s ICC T20 World Cup Australia 2020, which is now exactly one year away.

The appointments were confirmed after Sarfaraz Ahmed was left out of both formats due to the drop in his overall form during the past few series.

Senior sports journalist, Abdul Majid Bhatti revealed that the Pakistan Cricket Board approached the cricketer before making the final announcement and suggested him to step down from all the three formats but he refused.

The change was on the card as Pakistan miserably failed against the Sri Lankan team during T20I series and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq was unhappy with the senior players including Sarfaraz Ahmed.

According to the PCB, decision on vice-captaincy will be made closer to the series, whilst captaincy for the ODIs will be finalised in due course as the national team’s next assignment is scheduled from 4-9 July 2020 against the Netherlands in Amstelveen.

Australia series

Seventh-ranked Pakistan will play fifth-ranked Australia in two Tests in Brisbane (21-25 November) and Adelaide (29 November-3 December (d/n)) before hosting Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for two Tests apiece.

Pakistan are also scheduled to play three T20Is each against Australia (3, 5 and 8 November) and Bangladesh before the curtain falls on their international domestic season in early February 2020.

Azhar Ali as Test captain

Azhar Ali has been a mainstay of Pakistan’s batting line-up since making his debut against Australia at Lord’s in 2010. The 34-year-old is regarded as Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan’s prodigy and has scored 5,669 runs with 15 centuries and 31 half-centuries in 73 Tests.

Azhar had an excellent tour of Australia last time when Pakistan were there in 2016-17 when he had scores of 5, 71, 205 not out, 43, 71 and 11. His other scores against Australia in England and the UAE are 16, 42, 30, 51, 53, 30, 109, 100 not out, 18, 4, 15 and 64. This means the 21st ranked batsman in the world has aggregated 938 runs in nine Tests against Australia, his second most after Sri Lanka (1156 runs in 14 Tests).

In the ongoing four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Azhar is the second most successful batsman with 388 runs in four matches as his side Central Punjab leads the field with two wins.

Reacting to the news, Azhar Ali said: “There is no bigger honour than to captain the Pakistan national cricket team in the pinnacle format of the game. I feel humbled, excited and privileged, and with the support of the team, look forward to justifying the faith that has been entrusted upon me for the World Test Championship.

“Sarfaraz Ahmed has done an excellent job in transforming raw talent into experienced players and I now look forward to inspiring those skillful players in our endeavours to collectively achieve our World Test Championship objectives and beyond.

“These are exciting times in Pakistan cricket with a new team management. As a captain, I feel comfortable that there will be number of knowledgeable people in the hut who I can rely for advice and guidance.

“I am not only targeting wins, but also aim to provide opportunities to players to grow in stature and express themselves so that Pakistan cricket can resume its journey to the top. I have always played my cricket the hard way but in a fair manner, and will ensure I continue to uphold the spirit of cricket and enhance the image of the team and the country.”

Run machine Babar Azam

Babar Azam, the No.1 ranked batsman in T20Is, has previously captained Pakistan in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2012. He was vice-captain in the recently-concluded series against Sri Lanka and is presently captaining Central Punjab in the National T20 Cup where he scored a 59-ball 102 on the opening day against Sindh.

Babar Azam said: “To be named captain of the No.1 ranked side in the world is the biggest thing that has happened to my career to date. I am ready for this challenge and also willing to learn more in the process. I feel it has been a natural progression for me and I am delighted that the PCB has put faith in my capabilities.

“Sarfaraz Ahmed has led the side in the shortest format by example and it is my responsibility to take forward his accomplishments so that we remain a consistent, attractive and powerful side.”

Sarfaraz Ahmed said: “It has been an honour to lead Pakistan at the highest level. I want to thank all my colleagues, coaches and selectors who have helped me in this journey. My good wishes are with Azhar Ali, Babar Azam and the Pakistan cricket team, and I hope they will continue to grow stronger and stronger.”

PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, who approved the appointments, said: “I want to congratulate Azhar Ali and Babar Azam on their elevations to the most coveted and prestigious jobs in cricket. It is a reward for their continued hard work in strive for excellence and I am sure they, like their predecessors, will make the country proud with their performance, leadership and sportsmanship.

“It has been a difficult decision to drop Sarfaraz Ahmed, who has performed well as a player and a leader. But, his loss in form and confidence is visible and, in the best interest of the team, it has been decided to leave him out and provide him the opportunity to reflect and regroup himself and try to reclaim his form away from international cricket.

“Sarfaraz Ahmed’s contributions are second to none and being the gutsy cricketer and fighter that we all know he is, I have no doubts he will be back in Pakistan colours at some stage.”

 

[loanranger]

Guys, we are indeed a thank less lot who are brutal towards "Match winners" and honest perfomers "playing for Pakistan" without looking at the politics being played against them by those who do politics in team and "play with Pakistan"...

No doubt that Sarfaraz was needed to be removed from T20 for now due to lack of performance ( even despite politics against him).

He has been a match winner and top performing wicket keeper as well as captain to win most consecutive series than any other captain in history.

Removal from T20 should have been a wakeup call for Sarfaraz to up the performance or be removed from ODI too.

Then he should have been removed from test captaincy if he still failed to perform in tests also.

This is what I posted yesterday...

Misbah and Waqar Younus wanted to replace Sarfaraz when Misbah was captain and whenever Waqar used to be coach/bowling coach...

Sarfaraz stayed ahead of the duo's game by performing out of his skin...but now his performance has suffered.

The 2014-15 season turned out to be a fairytale one for Sarfaraz. He notched up an away ton against Lanka, and tons against Australia and New Zealand in consecutive Test series. Even away tours to England and Australia were a good for Sarfaraz as he kept well and batted doggedly.

Initially Sarfaraz was completely ignored by Waqar as a first choice keeper in favour of Umar Akmal for the first part of the 2015 World Cup, Sarfraz was at last reluctantly promoted by Waqar due to pressure from PCB to open in a must win game against South Africa and he delivered with a gutsy run-a-ball 49. His exploits won him the Man of the Match award and he repeated the feat with his maiden century against Ireland in the very next game.

These were the performances that exposed those who were against Sarfaraz.

Now that the Duo of Misbah and Waqar are sitting on top of Sarfaraz, they have and they will keep subjugating him to their decisions which would mean more losses if not enough already...to get Sarfaraz sacked from each and every format.

The new keeper will be the below par, under performer favorite of Misbah/Waqar in Mohammad Rizwan...who has zero match winning performances in PSL, let alone for Pakistan at international level...ZERO...But he is still favorite of Misbah and Waqar.

Until Sarfaraz gets kicked off from the team by Misbah and Waqar, Pakistan would keep losing matches due to obnoxious selection and management decisions...

Unfortunately for Sarfaraz, he himself is none the wiser and a subjugate to management decisions and hardly asserts himself...
​

Well done PCB, keep honouring your heros as if they are dirt, and keep promoting and rewarding dirty politics.

I feel for sarfraz. It was not his fault the team lost to srilanka. But this was a long time coming. Sarfraz does not perform with the bat anymore. He would have done the same in Australia test matches too. He is dead weight now. Might aswell try rizwan. Sarfraz was in the team because we had no better keeper. Who knows sarfraz may still play in the team as a keeper.

 

[Shane]

I feel for sarfraz. It was not his fault the team lost to srilanka. But this was a long time coming. Sarfraz does not perform with the bat anymore. He would have done the same in Australia test matches too. He is dead weight now. Might aswell try rizwan. Sarfraz was in the team because we had no better keeper. Who knows sarfraz may still play in the team as a keeper.

Dead weight in T20 indeed but not in tests or ODI...

Rizwan is a mediocre performer...might as well keep serfaraz until better keeper and batsman than Rizwan is discovered.

 

[loanranger]

Dead weight in T20 indeed but not in tests or ODI...

Rizwan is a mediocre performer...might as well keep serfaraz until better keeper and batsman than Rizwan is discovered.

Yeah they only removed him from captaincy I hope they keep him as a keeper still. They can keep rizwan and sarfraz both in the squad for Australia and worldcup.If one doesnot perform get the other one in. Bairstow and buttler are prime examples. Both of the field well. Sarfraz wouldn't be able to field. Rizwan is ok though.