"I would like Sarfaraz Ahmed to put Test cricket aside and focus on ODIs and T20Is" : Shahid Afridi

[Abdullah719]

"I would like Sarfaraz Ahmed to put Test cricket aside and focus on ODIs and T20Is" : Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi at a media talk:

"Before, I was in favour of Sarfaraz being captain in all formats. But now the World Cup is coming up and there is a lot of strong cricket to be played"

"I would like him to put Test cricket aside and focus on ODIs and T20Is, this is just my wish for him, it's his own decision but I am giving advice based on my experience. I think he will be able to deliver better in that way"

"If we look at the security situation, the last 5-6 years have had a much improved environment. I would like to credit the Pakistan army and the governments, they deserve all the credit"

 

[Savak]

Moot point, after the SA tour Pakistan won't play any test matches until after the ODI world cup. Sarfaraz overall future as both player and captain will be determined by how things go for us in the ODI world cup.

 

[Barragan]

As a captain he should stand down, but not as a player because this is his best format.

He was on fire a few years ago and was putting Pak in commanding positions, so maybe the weight of Test captaincy is bringing him down and affecting his batting.

Also, he is not that much of batsman in LOI, but his captaincy is worth it - especially in T20's

He is Pak's Matt Prior.

 

[Pete Rose]

I think if he truly focuses, he should be able to play the test format and nothing else. He is not a good fit for T20 and Odis. But, I suppose once Malik and Hafeez leave, we do need one experienced mediocre batsman for the middle order

 

[gazza619]

Sarfaraz has a lot of pressure on him and it shows on his face.

He does have a lot on his plate and the fact that he doesnt really switch off on the field has taken its toll.

I think Sarfaraz should quit T20 internationals.

 

[Hamza_]

He should quit ODIs and T20s

 

[MenInG]

So much pressure on Sarfaraz - hope he isnt reading any social media now. We need him to be strong.

 

[Ami]

I think its a moot point...which format?
He just needs to less 'captaincy'

May be tests?...why not.

 

[ARK Rafay]

It's too much pressure Captain + Batsman + Keeper of all 3 formats.

 

[Amjid Javed]

He shouldnt be in either the test or odi side right now, let alone being the captain

 

[Abdul Moiz]

Does he want Sarfaraz to retire or take a break from tests? And also after SA tour don't think that Pak has any test series scheduled till WC.

 

[Hasan123]

What we have learnt from this debacle is never make a WK captain in all 3 formats if he can't play as a specialist batsmen. Sarfraz isn't some genius tactican that captaincy we required for all 3 formats as captain anyway.

 

[PakPremi]

He shouldnt be in either the test or odi side right now, let alone being the captain

Yes we should hire pants and karthiks from parosis to miss catches and score 20s and 30s, but should we really when Sarfraz is already scoring at 37.5 average and keeping really well. I am now confused

 

[PakPremi]

What we have learnt from this debacle is never make a WK captain in all 3 formats if he can't play as a specialist batsmen. Sarfraz isn't some genius tactican that captaincy we required for all 3 formats as captain anyway.

He should never has been burdened with captaincy for all three. No wicketkeeper can bear immense pressure especially when you have to captain all three, keep wicket in all three and expected to bail out fragile batting team. He should stick to only limited over captaincy. I would prefer he did not play T20s as it does not suit his batting style especially when he only gets two or three overs to bat

 

[happydavy]

Where's the option now to not captain test team? Test match is less than 10 days away so he can't back out now. And after SA series there are no tests until world cup. So what's the point of an advise, which is not possible to execute??

 

[Sadozai]

His advice doesn't make any sense, just like his batting

 

[The Viper]

The possibility of Sarfraz batting at 6 in tests in SA is worrying. His recent form is really bad. At least if he performed there would be less people calling for him to get the sack from captaincy and the team.

 

[gazza619]

The possibility of Sarfraz batting at 6 in tests in SA is worrying. His recent form is really bad. At least if he performed there would be less people calling for him to get the sack from captaincy and the team.

I actually think he was getting back his form.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Why would a 31 year old start sacrificing one format for another? It’s not as if he’s played a lot of cricket either (43 tests, 95 Odis and 53 T20Is is not a lot in the grand scheme of things and compared to other keepers in the world).

 

[ShahidDar08]

He should only play test cricket and say goodbye to ODI's and T20's.

 

[RickyG]

If Sarfraz has a poor world cup then he should perhaps give up ODIs or limited overs altogether. It's hard to ask him to give up T20s when the team is doing so well under him.

But he will have to give up one of the following to lengthen his career:

1. Test captaincy
2. ODI Career or Captaincy or both
3. T20 Career

It's a tough spot for him to be in. Giving up his T20 career would make the most sense but the next world cup is in 2020 and he's built an excellent team in that format. I can understand why he would want to persist in that format at least until he has led the team in one world T20. If he wins the world T20, he will no doubt be one of the best limited overs captains in Pakistan's history.

His ODI career could come to an end with a poor world cup so that might not be his call to make. If Pakistan don't reach the semis and Sarfraz doesn't contribute with the bat I'd think that's it for him. If Pakistan do make the semis and Sarfraz plays well then he could really gain some confidence. But this is going to be his last world cup in all likelihood and it might make sense for him to retire from a format that he has struggled in for last 2 years or so.

Test cricket is where Sarfraz has excelled the most. He has improved significantly as a keeper and has contributed regularly enough with the bat. He should aim to play 100 tests before he calls it a day. I don't think he'll be able to do that as captain so I think he should seriously consider giving up test captaincy. He is struggling under the pressure and his batting has clearly suffered due to that. If he gives up test captaincy, he will feel the weight of the world lift off his shoulder. Secondly, as captain of Pakistan's test team there is nothing to achieve. This is an average team that will rank between 3-7 over the next few years. Sarfraz can still be the main man of this team like he was under Misbah by keeping and batting well but he won't have to face the media and public's wrath every time the team loses.

If I was Sarfraz, I would seriously consider giving up test captaincy after the South Africa tour. It's a tour he is likely to lose and unlikely to get too many runs in. He can then focus on his batting and captaincy in the shorter formats.

 

[adil_909]

once we get dominated by SAF, sarfraz will be running away from the captaincy like shahid afridi ran away from test cricket