Do people still side with Sarfaraz Ahmed and his captaincy?

[Dr_Bassim]

Pakistan are way too strong for any Asian team at the moment.

The Champions Trophy proved that.

And it will be proved again at the Asia Cup.

Our core of 10 to 15 players are good enough to win every time.

Oh and a point.

I know I will be crucified for this one, but personally I don't think that Sarfraz is an amazing captain. He is adequate and his core players make sure they perform and that's why he gets the plaudits.

You can give him Misbah's team and I doubt he would be able to convert the Azhar's and Hafeez's into world beaters.

I will be first to accept that I was wrong about the first part of my post.

But it's the 2nd part that I posted 5 days even before the match that I want to discuss.

Lets watch the match yesterday again and ask me "What is so amazing about Sarfraz that makes him a good captain? "

Pakistan may or may not win the Asia Cup and next few matches against India, but Sarfraz as captain will just be exposed the longer this tournament goes on.

Discuss.

 

[Asif321]

Don’t think so one match doesn’t make him bad captain
Yes he need to take more responsibility with bat . He gets out himself rather than bowler doing something special . That issue need to be addressed
As captain Pakistan should carry on with him till Worldcup

 

[shariqnoor]

I've been a vocal critic of Sarfraz's captaincy despite him having the best returns over the past 10 years for any Pakistani captain. But Sarfraz has been winning a lot against Sri Lanka / WI / Zim and it has inflated his numbers.

Sarfraz's style of captaincy is only suited to T20 where things happen at a very quick pace and the team already has a set plan of which bowlers bowl at what times. I haven't seen Sarfraz being required to tweak game plans very much even against big sides because Pakistan generally is a very good T20 team. Our T20 team is on auto-pilot mode right now and Sarfraz seems to be enjoying that role. Still remains to be seen how he reacts when turbulence hits. I would guess very weakly.

The more time you have on your hands, which you get in ODIs and Tests, the more Sarfraz's captaincy will get exposed because he's not an astute thinker. He's certainly no Misbah - whose captaincy dwarfs that of Sarfraz. People hate Misbah because they see boring written all over him and our fans love the flashy stuff which Sarfraz is. Sometimes our team gets on a roll and it makes Sarfraz look good but to be honest I haven't seen anything special in his captaincy. Even yesterday when the team was taking a beating at the hands of Rohit for a good 4-5 overs, he resisted introducing Shadab until the 13th over. Another example of his poor captaincy is in fact in the CT 2017 final when he kept feeding spinners to Pandya despite the fact that it was well known that Pandya is a beast against spinners. And he never stopped. In fact gave Fakhar Zaman a bowl against Pandya.

In Tests, he will be exposed even more especially in a place like UAE which demands a lot of patience. And Sarfraz is unfortunately of bereft of that. He's too impatient to the ultimate detriment of his own team.

I don't know why he is playing 4 fast bowlers in the ODIs in the UAE. The selection committee made a huge error in sending 6 fast bowlers but then the bigger crime is of the team management of playing 4 fast bowlers when you have Nawaz sitting on the bench. Granted, that Nawaz is also a mediocre bowler but him being a spinner is still going to be better than a medium fast bowler on these pitches. If playing 4 fast bowlers was Sarfraz's decision, then it reflects very poorly on him as a captain on not understanding match conditions. If this wasn't his call, then it again calls into question his level of influence. Either ways, this is on Sarfraz.

He better pull up his socks with regards to captaincy.

 

[Red Devil]

He leads the team well, everyone seems motivated and the team has gelled really well under him.

It's his own batting that is the bigger cause of concern. He just doesn't seem good enough to be a #5 batsman anymore.

 

[Baigel]

Yes, People like me...People who believe in the future of Pakistan cricket

 

[todfod 11]

who can be the captain??

 

[shortbread]

The best thing about Sarfaraz's captaincy is the stability it brings to the team. No more of the captaincy merry-go-round that plagued Pakistani cricket in the 2000s!

Sarfaraz can improve as a captain; the coach, senior players and team management have a role to play in that. The guy is committed and one can see that in his improved fitness. His batting has been on a downward tangent but that can change after one decent innings.

I say again replacing him will only lead to chaos, give him a chance to improve.

 

[LordEddardStark]

Sarfaraz was never a great captain to begin with, but he is adequate enough and more importantly best of the lot. I don't see anyone more suited than him for this role in the team right now. Better to stick with him till World Cup 2019 and hope he concentrates a bit more on his batting, which imo is more worrisome right now.

 

[InziRules]

I think that Sarfraz's captaincy is better on quicker pitches than on slow ones. He has no real idea how to handle spin. Misbah did know how to handle spin.

We won the CT under Sarfraz though, and wouldn't have won under Misbah or Azhar because he's a fantastic captain on more pacy surfaces. Our entire batting is geared towards more pacy surfaces as well, and not for UAE pitches.

 

[El Generico]

No since we lost one match I have stopped "siding" with Sarfaraz's captaincy.

 

[Amjid Javed]

1st rule for any captain in any side - Be able to be selected in the side on merit alone!

Something sarfaraz is not, hes been pathetic with the bat for a very long time now, time for him to go espcially in test cricket which is destroying the balance of the team and having a hugh negative effect on results.

 

[Pakhs]

Pakistan tried to play a high risk approach and played a few T20 shots, It didnt come off this time. It was the same with bowling high risk short bowls were used in the hope of batmen making a mistake. It may work on some days but they should try and find a middle ground.

 

[shortbread]

1st rule for any captain in any side - Be able to be selected in the side on merit alone!

Something sarfaraz is not, hes been pathetic with the bat for a very long time now, time for him to go espcially in test cricket which is destroying the balance of the team and having a hugh negative effect on results.

Who else is a better keeper-batsman?!

Not going back to the TTF Akmal clan!

 

[barah_admi]

I think many on here have spoken about his captaincy multiple times. He is just not tactically good enough, at times as bad as someone like Kohli. The worst part is, his keeping is average and his batting gets worse, series by series. Maybe he can lead through force of personality but is that enough?

 

[Khan12]

we need to get rid of him ASAP. Pathetic batsmen and an average keeper.

 

[Snak3eye5]

All the criticism towards Sarfaraz is unfair

If you see the game against India Sarfaraz was looking to play and was set for a big score. It’s not his fault that he got caught by a freak catch. 9 our of 10 times catching a ball the way Manish did is impossible. Mannish was running towards the ball from a totally different angle and ran for his life to catch the ball and threw it back up in the air as he caught it, went back outside the rope and then back in and caught the ball. It’s just one of those catches that 9 out of 10 players won’t even bother catching those kind of balls and I guess Manish who isn’t even a regular had to make something out of the game to get noticed.

Also end of the day cricket is a team game and everyone from batting and bowling are to blame. If anything knowing Pakistan, they come back stronger in the next game.

 

[Hasan123]

His captaincy is nothing special. He isn't employing anything revolutionary. It's just if you compare him to Misbah and Azhar Ali , he looks amazing.

He is a decent captain but he's nothing special . You can't make a player captain who is struggling with his primary role and doesn't make the team on merit.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Dont know about others (frankly dont care what haters think) but i strongly believe in Sarfi as captain hence my signature from Feb 2017 (before CT). have been following him since u19 world cup 2006 and can easily say if there is one current captain in Pakistan who can lead us to trophy wins and leave us with a settled good team after his departure in all formats, it is Sarfraz. U19 wc win where his captaincy was the main reason we won the semi final (people usually talk only about final), CT win, local t20 and one day tournaments and PSL; seen enough of him to make this opinion where he competed with below average sides and and competed well. Wont go into more details as i have discussed why i like is captaincy many times before.

Plus i dont like glory hunting and not a fan of changing opinions every now and then like some other Pak fans in this forum and in general. Before CT Sarfraz is rubbish remove him make Imad / Amir / Umar Amin captain, after CT Sarfraz is the best we have keep him, after SL tests Sarfraz is pathetic kick him out make Azhar captain etc.. Aisay teams nai banti meri jaan!

his batting form though is a big concern for me.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

I think that Sarfraz's captaincy is better on quicker pitches than on slow ones. He has no real idea how to handle spin. Misbah did know how to handle spin.

Think you havent seen Sarfraz and his captaincy in local tournaments and in PSL. Sarfraz thrives using his spinners. With trash like Nawaz, hassan and Anwar Ali he choked oppositions and led his team to 2 PSL finals. It is Mickey who is hell bent on playing pacers even in UAE and one of Sarfraz problem is he is too acha bacha type and lack of batting form to have a bigger say then Mickey in team selection.

 

[Minnowbasher]

I still support him but only just. There are a few things that annoy me though:
Firstly, he bats himself too low. For most of his captaincy career he has batted at 6 while before he used to bat at 4. He was successful at 4 so I have no idea why he decided to go down to 6. That was a stupid decision.
Secondly, now that he is out of form and a rubbish batter (due to batting so low) he still hasn't put it on him to work hard on his batting and bat at a fixed position of #4.
Thirdly, rather than improving his batting while maintaining his captaincy, he had slightly deterroriated as a captain while his batting has just got worse and worse. He needs to realise that he needs to lead from the front and bat up the order.

Despite these issues he still has talent and potential to become a quality number 4 batsman and a world class captain. Unfortunately, his work ethic seems rather poor as he hasn't worked hard enough to achieve what he ought to achieve.

Insha Allah, pressure from us fans and the media will eventually make him realise that he is responsible for performances such as yesterday. Insha Allah he will realise that he isn't working hard enough and Insha Allah he will deliver in the world cup for Pakistan. He is the most important player atm as of he fails the team will generally also fail.

 

[Sherlock]

I don't have many issues with his captaincy, I have issues with his batting though.

 

[Pete Rose]

Captaincy can be a somewhat thankless job because its impact is somewhat subjective.
What is the job of the captain:
Select (co-select) right players in squad
Select right players in team
Be tactically switched on during the game
Have a team that plays for him
Inspire by authority and by example
I am sure there are other things that can be added to this, but for me sarfaraz is able to do most of these things barring the last point - especially in the limited formats.

He needs a strong personal performance. I do feel that he is feeling the burden of playing across all formats - and he is no dhoni fitness wise.

its not for me to sat

 

[Pete Rose]

I don't have many issues with his captaincy, I have issues with his batting though.

thats the first criteria for selection..ie personal performance

 

[Sherlock]

thats the first criteria for selection..ie personal performance

Yes, because a captain will drop himself. If there was a player in the current XI that deserves the captaincy other than Sarfraz, I haven't seen him.

 

[Savak]

Sarfaraz for me is an on top captain, he doesn't react well under pressure whenever there is an onslaught from the opposition batsmen which will require him to think fast on his feet and make game changing decisions, very often I have seen the pressure get to him which he takes out on his team mates which only intensifies the pressure on the rest of the team and that is 90% of the game lost there and then.

But what are the alternatives lol. Sarfaraz has been groomed from the captaincy since his U-19 days and should have had so much experience by now.

 

[Pete Rose]

Yes, because a captain will drop himself. If there was a player in the current XI that deserves the captaincy other than Sarfraz, I haven't seen him.

These things dont change because of one bad result, but I think there have always been questions about Sarfaraz's ability in the limited overs format. he has the fluency to play a decent accumulating role in odi's especially in the middle, but he is not doing that.
He will lose his place in the team (not necessarily after this tournament) if he doesnt perform with the bat.

 

[Gotham Cronie]

Does Dr. Sahab have any solutions?

 

[Sherlock]

Sarfaraz for me is an on top captain, he doesn't react well under pressure whenever there is an onslaught from the opposition batsmen which will require him to think fast on his feet and make game changing decisions, very often I have seen the pressure get to him which he takes out on his team mates which only intensifies the pressure on the rest of the team and that is 90% of the game lost there and then.

But what are the alternatives lol. Sarfaraz has been groomed from the captaincy since his U-19 days and should have had so much experience by now.

I kinda agree but we had the same, if not similar issues with Misbah's/Afrid's captaincy too. I remember Misbah getting irked and worried when a boundary was hit. He wasn't the calming influence some would make out. Also, Afridi was hotheaded so that was a given.

The only player I found to be level-leaded was Azhar Ali, but he wasn't a very good captain.

 

[Sherlock]

These things dont change because of one bad result, but I think there have always been questions about Sarfaraz's ability in the limited overs format. he has the fluency to play a decent accumulating role in odi's especially in the middle, but he is not doing that.
He will lose his place in the team (not necessarily after this tournament) if he doesnt perform with the bat.

I agree, but the problem of the next captain will continue. It would be easier if he wasn't the captain, if he didn't bring the CT home, and if he didn't play that crucial innings v SL.

 

[Pete Rose]

I agree, but the problem of the next captain will continue. It would be easier if he wasn't the captain, if he didn't bring the CT home, and if he didn't play that crucial innings v SL.

Its a good problem to have. The rest of the team is pretty young barring malik who shouldnt be playing anyhow

 

[Eagle_Eye]

Dont know about others (frankly dont care what haters think) but i strongly believe in Sarfi as captain hence my signature from Feb 2017 (before CT). have been following him since u19 world cup 2006 and can easily say if there is one current captain in Pakistan who can lead us to trophy wins and leave us with a settled good team after his departure in all formats, it is Sarfraz. U19 wc win where his captaincy was the main reason we won the semi final (people usually talk only about final), CT win, local t20 and one day tournaments and PSL; seen enough of him to make this opinion where he competed with below average sides and and competed well. Wont go into more details as i have discussed why i like is captaincy many times before.

Plus i dont like glory hunting and not a fan of changing opinions every now and then like some other Pak fans in this forum and in general. Before CT Sarfraz is rubbish remove him make Imad / Amir / Umar Amin captain, after CT Sarfraz is the best we have keep him, after SL tests Sarfraz is pathetic kick him out make Azhar captain etc.. Aisay teams nai banti meri jaan!

his batting form though is a big concern for me.

please tell us how his captaincy in that u19 semi final was the reason for the win.

 

[IMMY69]

I think we still have time before the world cup to make the necessary changes.

Bring Kamran back to open the innings with Fakhar. Umar Akmal can bat at 6 and keep wickets
and the best cricketing brain in Pakistan, Sher Shoiab Malik can be made captain.

CT17, number one in T20 rankings, beating Aussies in T20's and severe minnow bashing aside our team has been going backwards.

Safaraz must have played his part in team selections too... Hafeez in the ODI side, Asif Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan etc etc are all bad selections. Gul and Tanvir should be leading the bowling line-up.

 

[Sherlock]

Its a good problem to have. The rest of the team is pretty young barring malik who shouldnt be playing anyhow

It's easier said than done. We don't want another captain like Misbah, no matter his ******* on here. We rarely, if at anytime, blooded youngsters in ODIs. We need someone that will continue that process and make it a cornerstone of their captaincy.

 

[TeamPak95]

Dont know about others (frankly dont care what haters think) but i strongly believe in Sarfi as captain hence my signature from Feb 2017 (before CT). have been following him since u19 world cup 2006 and can easily say if there is one current captain in Pakistan who can lead us to trophy wins and leave us with a settled good team after his departure in all formats, it is Sarfraz. U19 wc win where his captaincy was the main reason we won the semi final (people usually talk only about final), CT win, local t20 and one day tournaments and PSL; seen enough of him to make this opinion where he competed with below average sides and and competed well. Wont go into more details as i have discussed why i like is captaincy many times before.

Plus i dont like glory hunting and not a fan of changing opinions every now and then like some other Pak fans in this forum and in general. Before CT Sarfraz is rubbish remove him make Imad / Amir / Umar Amin captain, after CT Sarfraz is the best we have keep him, after SL tests Sarfraz is pathetic kick him out make Azhar captain etc.. Aisay teams nai banti meri jaan!

his batting form though is a big concern for me.

Totally agree. And honestly, most people on here are too prisoner of the moment after every game, let alone series. Watch Pakistan beat India on Sunday and then it's back to "best since Imran!". If we're gonna make a report card for Saifi's captaincy before WC, it should be after SA tour.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

He led Pakistan to a great victory in the CT not too long ago. Personal performance be damned! He's the modern Mike brearley and is worth playing for his tactical nous alone.

 

[K4Kohli]

I think that Sarfraz's captaincy is better on quicker pitches than on slow ones. He has no real idea how to handle spin. Misbah did know how to handle spin.

We won the CT under Sarfraz though, and wouldn't have won under Misbah or Azhar because he's a fantastic captain on more pacy surfaces. Our entire batting is geared towards more pacy surfaces as well, and not for UAE pitches.

are you saying the team isnt suited for home pitches

 

[K4Kohli]

He led Pakistan to a great victory in the CT not too long ago. Personal performance be damned! He's the modern Mike brearley and is worth playing for his tactical nous alone.

I hope you are not trolling

 

[InziRules]

are you saying the team isnt suited for home pitches

Yes. Hafeez is actually a better option on these surfaces. We only have one spinner. I'm guessing we're gearing towards the World Cup

 

[MRSN]

Yes. Hafeez is actually a better option on these surfaces. We only have one spinner. I'm guessing we're gearing towards the World Cup

Delusions can be nice sometimes if it helps you. If you really think this current team can win the world cup then you will be disappointed. Minus fakher and this batting can't even put up 200 odd runs.

 

[Greenstorm]

He is doing fine as a captain. Need to score more consistently.

 

[MRSN]

Loads of excuses in this thread as usual from Ppers especially after thrashing from India. Indian team were rock stars and inferior prior to this game and suddenly now excuses like conditions not suited to our players laughable.lol it's the venue where we play most of our cricket and yet our players can't get used to conditions is a very poor and week excuse. Just accept this team is a very inferior and overrated. Especially lead by an overhyped captain that specialises in shouting at his players only.

Pakistan has a lot to fix before world cup but most importantly we need to accept our problems first. If we keep ignoring problems like playing bits and pieces players and non performing captain then it's not looking good.

 

[MRSN]

He is doing fine as a captain. Need to score more consistently.

Need to score more consistently? Or need to pass single digit scores?

 

[Ned Flanders]

Need to score more consistently? Or need to pass single digit scores?

More consistently, these are our first ODI against a real side since January.

 

[InziRules]

Loads of excuses in this thread as usual from Ppers especially after thrashing from India. Indian team were rock stars and inferior prior to this game and suddenly now excuses like conditions not suited to our players laughable.lol it's the venue where we play most of our cricket and yet our players can't get used to conditions is a very poor and week excuse. Just accept this team is a very inferior and overrated. Especially lead by an overhyped captain that specialises in shouting at his players only.

Pakistan has a lot to fix before world cup but most importantly we need to accept our problems first. If we keep ignoring problems like playing bits and pieces players and non performing captain then it's not looking good.

And your solution is to bring back Kamran and Umar Akmal. No thanks

 

[MRSN]

More consistently, these are our first ODI against a real side since January.

you use words like "more consistently" for a player who at least performs once in a while. Sarfraz has been missing as a batsman since ages.

 

[Ned Flanders]

you use words like "more consistently" for a player who at least performs once in a while. Sarfraz has been missing as a batsman since ages.

Because last time Pakistan played a proper ODI series was literally ages ago, January.

A series where all the batsmen except Hafeez/Zaman failed miserably.

 

[MRSN]

And your solution is to bring back Kamran and Umar Akmal. No thanks

I never knew you could read minds.

The solution is to simply keep trying until you find best combination not just close your eyes and accept mediocrity.

 

[MRSN]

The excuse that I find really cringe worthy is the one that he is the best we have. If his average keeping and mediocre batting and shouting at players(captain specialty) is the best we can find then PCB should really shut all the domestic cricket. There is no need for it if we can't find replacement of a guy who has been under performing for last three years and still manages to stay in the side without anyone questioning his position.

 

[Ned Flanders]

The excuse that I find really cringe worthy is the one that he is the best we have. If his average keeping and mediocre batting and shouting at players(captain specialty) is the best we can find then PCB should really shut all the domestic cricket. There is no need for it if we can't find replacement of a guy who has been under performing for last three years and still manages to stay in the side without anyone questioning his position.

How is he under performing for the last three years?

He is averaging 38 since January 2015.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Totally agree. And honestly, most people on here are too prisoner of the moment after every game, let alone series. Watch Pakistan beat India on Sunday and then it's back to "best since Imran!". If we're gonna make a report card for Saifi's captaincy before WC, it should be after SA tour.

If he was so good why was Pakistan blanked 5 to 0 in NZ??

Is winning one match too big of a deal for a great captain?

 

[MRSN]

How is he under performing for the last three years?

He is averaging 38 since January 2015.

Is that so? voww I'm so wrong I must have slept through his match winning 100s and 50s.

 

[Syed1]

If he was so good why was Pakistan blanked 5 to 0 in NZ??

Is winning one match too big of a deal for a great captain?

MS Dhoni who has achieved everything there is to achieve in cricket as captain also lost 4-0 in NZ. Don't run mouth without knowledge.

 

[Syed1]

Is that so? voww I'm so wrong I must have slept through his match winning 100s and 50s.

Perhaps you did sleep through them because he has a match winning 100 against England in 2016 and a match winning 50 against SL in CT. Need to wake up kiddo.

 

[MRSN]

Because last time Pakistan played a proper ODI series was literally ages ago, January.

A series where all the batsmen except Hafeez/Zaman failed miserably.

so we learnt nothing from NZ whitewash?

 

[Dr_Bassim]

MS Dhoni who has achieved everything there is to achieve in cricket as captain also lost 4-0 in NZ. Don't run mouth without knowledge.

If you are addressing me then learn to talk civilly before I bother to respond.

Basically its my personal observation he is an adequate captain.

Its you who is gloating him as the next Mike Brearly.

 

[RickyG]

There is nothing wrong with his captaincy. The usual prima donnas on PP having a go at him for losing a match. It would've been a much different game if Pakistan had scored 250 yesterday but Malik and Babar wasted starts while the rest of the team capitulated.

His batting on the other hand is starting to become worrisome. The problem with Pakistan's batting line up is that there is literally no place to hide. That's why with the score at 220/2 after 40 overs Asif Ali looks like a valuable asset and at 80/4 after 20 overs he looks like a luxury we can't afford.

I'm afraid to say that his batting has wilted under the pressure of being captain. The team performance and composition has improved but at this moment his batting is falling well-short of what is required.

 

[Gotham Cronie]

Pointing out problems without a solution is probably the worst habit of PPers.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Pointing out problems without a solution is probably the worst habit of PPers.

I have made an observation.

Not really said its a problem.

We can stick to Sarfraz without expecting him to be creative and good.

Lower the standards and enjoy the results as they come along, be it win or loss.

And I am no Houdini either that I will show a problem and give a solution.

This forum is made of observations and opinions, not problems and solutions.

 

[Ned Flanders]

so we learnt nothing from NZ whitewash?

Just because we have one bad series we should overhaul everything? wth? :lmao

Is that so? voww I'm so wrong I must have slept through his match winning 100s and 50s.

You did, Pakistan chased their first ever 300+ run chase because of him.

Our team was in shambles and once he came on as captain and injected young blood into the team we won the Champions Trophy

 

[Ned Flanders]

If he was so good why was Pakistan blanked 5 to 0 in NZ??

Is winning one match too big of a deal for a great captain?

Because NZ simply outplayed us and us with a new look team weren't able to handle NZ conditions.

Once we got acclimatized to the conditions we thrashed them 2-1 in T20s.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Because NZ simply outplayed us and us with a new look team weren't able to handle NZ conditions.

Once we got acclimatized to the conditions we thrashed them 2-1 in T20s.

2-1 is not a thrashing but 5 -0 is.

Anyways, Sarfraz is a better T20 captain because the shorter the game the lesser he has to think.

 

[Ned Flanders]

2-1 is not a thrashing but 5 -0 is.

Anyways, Sarfraz is a better T20 captain because the shorter the game the lesser he has to think.

One bad series doesn't justify his captaincy as a whole.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

One bad series doesn't justify his captaincy as a whole.

I am willing to see him in Asia Cup too.

I just made an observation that he is not an amazing captain like people have predicted.

He is adequate.

 

[Ned Flanders]

I am willing to see him in Asia Cup too.

I just made an observation that he is not an amazing captain like people have predicted.

He is adequate.

He is not Dhoni amazing or Ganguly amazing.

But he is good enough for us.

He's probably the best captain we've had in the past decade.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

He is not Dhoni amazing or Ganguly amazing.

But he is good enough for us.

He's probably the best captain we've had in the past decade.

I would hesitate to say that till I see more of him.

A Champions Trophy in which everyone gelled at the same time is reminiscent of a Pak T20 team under YK in which everyone gelled in at same time and Pak won the T20 world Cup in 2009.

But YK was never good enough to captain again.

 

[K4Kohli]

2-1 is not a thrashing but 5 -0 is.

Anyways, Sarfraz is a better T20 captain because the shorter the game the lesser he has to think.

are you saying he gets tired of thinking in longer formats

 

[Fineline]

He should be shown the door if he doesn't manage to score some runs in the remaining matches of Asia Cup.Enough of living on the past glories!

 

[PakPremi]

I am willing to see him in Asia Cup too.

I just made an observation that he is not an amazing captain like people have predicted.

He is adequate.

There are no amazing captains in World Cricket atm. Problem with Sarfraz recently has been his ill timed shot selections rather than playing maximum overs.

 

[Hasan123]

MS Dhoni who has achieved everything there is to achieve in cricket as captain also lost 4-0 in NZ. Don't run mouth without knowledge.

Dhoni led from the front with the bat and made the team on keeping merit. Furthermore he was vastly superior tactically to Sarfraz and his fitness was easily the best in his team. Losing 1 series in NZ doesn't affect his reputation, and anyway he beat big team in bilaterals . Other than the CT ,Sarfraz has won ODI series we should be winning.

It's an insult to compare one of the greatest LO cricketers with a rubbish batsmen and average keeper.

 

[Sirris]

Either we are brave enough and experiment with a young captain or we stick with Sarfaraz and make him improve since I don't see any alternative, be it keeping-wise or captaincy-wise.

 

[from_da_lost_dim3nsion]

I've been a vocal critic of Sarfraz's captaincy despite him having the best returns over the past 10 years for any Pakistani captain. But Sarfraz has been winning a lot against Sri Lanka / WI / Zim and it has inflated his numbers.

Sarfraz's style of captaincy is only suited to T20 where things happen at a very quick pace and the team already has a set plan of which bowlers bowl at what times. I haven't seen Sarfraz being required to tweak game plans very much even against big sides because Pakistan generally is a very good T20 team. Our T20 team is on auto-pilot mode right now and Sarfraz seems to be enjoying that role. Still remains to be seen how he reacts when turbulence hits. I would guess very weakly.

The more time you have on your hands, which you get in ODIs and Tests, the more Sarfraz's captaincy will get exposed because he's not an astute thinker. He's certainly no Misbah - whose captaincy dwarfs that of Sarfraz. People hate Misbah because they see boring written all over him and our fans love the flashy stuff which Sarfraz is. Sometimes our team gets on a roll and it makes Sarfraz look good but to be honest I haven't seen anything special in his captaincy. Even yesterday when the team was taking a beating at the hands of Rohit for a good 4-5 overs, he resisted introducing Shadab until the 13th over. Another example of his poor captaincy is in fact in the CT 2017 final when he kept feeding spinners to Pandya despite the fact that it was well known that Pandya is a beast against spinners. And he never stopped. In fact gave Fakhar Zaman a bowl against Pandya.

In Tests, he will be exposed even more especially in a place like UAE which demands a lot of patience. And Sarfraz is unfortunately of bereft of that. He's too impatient to the ultimate detriment of his own team.

I don't know why he is playing 4 fast bowlers in the ODIs in the UAE. The selection committee made a huge error in sending 6 fast bowlers but then the bigger crime is of the team management of playing 4 fast bowlers when you have Nawaz sitting on the bench. Granted, that Nawaz is also a mediocre bowler but him being a spinner is still going to be better than a medium fast bowler on these pitches. If playing 4 fast bowlers was Sarfraz's decision, then it reflects very poorly on him as a captain on not understanding match conditions. If this wasn't his call, then it again calls into question his level of influence. Either ways, this is on Sarfraz.

He better pull up his socks with regards to captaincy.

Dude we were a much lower ranked ODI team under Mis-bae . Also he never teh young guys play . Turned us into a team of spinners and dont get me started about the defensive mindset .

 

[TeamPak95]

If he was so good why was Pakistan blanked 5 to 0 in NZ??

Is winning one match too big of a deal for a great captain?

A great captain is a great captain when his players are executing his plans via great performances. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case in NZ as most of our players weren't showing up (batsmen especially). Sarfraz's captaincy wasn't the sole, glaring issue for that disaster ODI series, it was just players not showing up in general. Even winning one match, surprise surprise, requires the captains players, and obviously the captain himself, to show up. We're going to consistently play tougher competition ahead in Asia Cup, as well as after, so once that concludes then we can get our knives out and slash mercilessly if Sarfraz's captaincy is still not on the money.

 

[Square Drive]

He is a very fine skipper.

But his batting is a huge concern and he's not leading from the front, which hampers his reputation as a captain to some extent, moreso when he screams at his mates.

I'd still stick with him as a captain provided he can improve his performance with the bat until the WC. Good leader and has built a good side.

 

[Abdullah]

Sarfu is fine as skipper.
People need to wake up and rewatch the last 4 years.
He needs to get a bit more selfish at the crease to score runs. I for 1 was happy he tried that shot against Kedar. Maybe now he should be told to play low risk.

 

[DRsohail]

He is average keeper and going down with that fat belly, average captain and pathetic bat. I will keep him captain just in t20. Make fakhar or shdab captain in odi and aamir or anyone else in tests.time will prove it that he is not fit for captaincy.

 

[Mamoon]

Wonderful to see his overrated captaincy get exposed. Nothing more than a minnow-bashing captain who rode his luck in the Champions Trophy.

Since the Champions Trophy, Pakistan have played 7 ODIs against quality teams have lost all 7. If he was the tactical genius that he is hailed to be, clearly he could have turned at least two games in our favor with his decision-making?

The T20I bubble will exposed soon too. We will not be able to maintain our artificial ranking for too long. It is only a matter of playing more games against the top sides. We are number one because we played 10 matches against West Indies on slow wickets and have played only 1 match against England and 0 against India.

However, cricket is a great leveler and the wheat will be separated from the chaff soon enough. If there is a WT20 today, we will not come close to winning it.

A poor team in all three formats.

 

[Savak]

Sarfaraz is now on borrowed time.

 

[Abdullah]

I think sarfaraz should get until the world cup and bat at 4.
We have gone down a road where we have got roles for most players bearing in mind the WC is in England. We need to continue with the similar setup and review post WC

 

[Abdullah]

Imam needs to nail down the openers spot and show more,
Dot ball percentage needs to improve and Asif and faheem need to finish. We need a hafeez type in there too. Right hand offspinning all-rounder.
We have our 5 or 6 quicks ( amir Hasan Junaid Shaheen Junaid rumman) and that is what we will have to use
Just keep calm. Mickey has done some good work and we just need to keep going.
Yes we got tonked today but there are fine margins. Fakhar was just getting back and his dismissal and imams drop could have easily played out differently and impacted the game big.
Yes India are a better team, I'm not denying that, but we need to have confidence in the boys to pull through.
Let's focus on the semi Vs Bangladesh

 

[Dingolfy]

In the other thread where people were comparing him to Kohli, I have told wait till he captains against a non-minnow. And exactly that has happened. Pakistan should find somebody else to captain your side than this mediocre player.