Is there simply too much on Sarfaraz Ahmed's plate?

[Kaka4pope]

His batting has been poor, his keeping still harbours errors and his captaincy is now coming under pressure against strong opposition.

I actually think he can and has in the past added value in all 3 areas but is it spreading him too thinly?

Give up the gloves I say...he wouldn't be the first.

 

[Mamoon]

On a serious note, I kind of agree by assessment is different.

In my view, for a mediocre player, he is simply shouldering too much responsibility. He is also older than his cricketing age, and I do think it is time that his workload is managed.

In an ideal world, he will not play Limited Overs cricket at all because he is one of the worst white ball WK batsman in the world at the moment, but we currently do not have able replacements, especially in ODIs.

 

[indianpanacea]

No need to panic..Many strong times had capitulated in past at newzealand..but yes what what bothers is that sarfaraz is underutilizing himself in batting and his confidence is for toss...look when he was scoring previously his keeping was also upto mark..
I would suggest him to drop Azhar Ali(i don"t consider him oneday material ..what appreciable has he done in one days except that CT final when fakhar was doing bulk scoring) and instead open with fakhar till world cup 2019..furthermore hafeez should bat down the order and be given role of finisher.Amir yamin and faheem should be played together and they will compliment each other
Fakhar
Sarfaraz
Babar
Faheem ashraf(Deliberately introduce a left hander in middle and he is better than other recognized batsmen)
Shoaib Malik
Hafeez
yamin
Shahdab
Hassan ali
Amir
Rumaan.

 

[Kaka4pope]

On a serious note, I kind of agree by assessment is different.

In my view, for a mediocre player, he is simply shouldering too much responsibility. He is also older than his cricketing age, and I do think it is time that his workload is managed.

In an ideal world, he will not play Limited Overs cricket at all because he is one of the worst white ball WK batsman in the world at the moment, but we currently do not have able replacements, especially in ODIs.

Its a big big ask what he's been given and he's a likeable chap - although not sure if even an ABD has had similar responsibilities during his career..

 

[Abdullah]

He needs to focus on his own job . Doesn't do that enough

 

[MRSN]

Yes. Too much on his plate at the moment.

 

[Aman]

He's a passenger, you need a new keeper and captain.

 

[Kaka4pope]

No need to panic..Many strong times had capitulated in past at newzealand..but yes what what bothers is that sarfaraz is underutilizing himself in batting and his confidence is for toss...look when he was scoring previously his keeping was also upto mark..
I would suggest him to drop Azhar Ali(i don"t consider him oneday material ..what appreciable has he done in one days except that CT final when fakhar was doing bulk scoring) and instead open with fakhar till world cup 2019..furthermore hafeez should bat down the order and be given role of finisher.Amir yamin and faheem should be played together and they will compliment each other
Fakhar
Sarfaraz
Babar
Faheem ashraf(Deliberately introduce a left hander in middle and he is better than other recognized batsmen)
Shoaib Malik
Hafeez
yamin
Shahdab
Hassan ali
Amir
Rumaan.

Think this idea of Sarfraz opening is not a bad shout, particularly in his current role as keeper and captain too - he should just come out and play his strokes, particularly effective when he moves out of crease and upsets bowlers' lengths.

 

[Abdul]

Yes, there's too much Biryani.

 

[Lynx]

Ever since he's demoted himself to 6 in favour of Hafeez in the batting lineup, his batting has gone down considerably. It's almost as if coming in at 6, he thinks of himself as a tailender and whatever runs he adds are a bonus. Everyone knows where he should actually be batting i.e no lower than 5. People seem to forget that series against England where he was the top run scorer for us batting there. For me, he's completely lost his confidence with the bat and coupled with the fact that he's overweight, it's affecting his keeping as well.

Two things he should do as soon as possible:

1) Shed some pounds off his body.
2) Either kick Hafeez out completely or tell him to bat at 6.

 

[paklvr_82]

These kinds of meals are eaten by all of our players.
I feel Sarfaraz is in a lot more pressure and it can be seen in the way he got out in the 2nd odi. Plus the criticism from media & social media sections against Sarfaraz to divert and protect certain 'senior losers' [in the middle order] is also noticeable. Certain responsibility lies on Sarfaraz also as he has not managed to get the job out of his seniormost players or change their defensive meek mindset. Why is Malik playing when he is'nt bowling in the middle overs? It was expected from the 1st press conf.
Both Azhar Mahmood [bowling coach] and Sarfaraz caimed they will use Shoaib Malik which has'nt happened uptil now.

But certain voices [ex-players, media ppl] singling out the captain and his performances whereas keeping mum on Shoaib Malik, Azam, Hafeez and Azhar Ali is kind of a ploy which many fans in social media also questioned. It should be noted that the youngsters have done a fairly good job in his captaincy.

Sarfaraz and Arthur should make important decisions and definitely change the middle order looking for someone with the right attitude no matter which batting position he plays on. Or else the negative criticism only for them will only grow.

 

[paklvr_82]

Ever since he's demoted himself to 6 in favour of Hafeez in the batting lineup, his batting has gone down considerably. It's almost as if coming in at 6, he thinks of himself as a tailender and whatever runs he adds are a bonus. Everyone knows where he should actually be batting i.e no lower than 5. People seem to forget that series against England where he was the top run scorer for us batting there. For me, he's completely lost his confidence with the bat and coupled with the fact that he's overweight, it's affecting his keeping as well.

Two things he should do as soon as possible:

1) Shed some pounds off his body.
2) Either kick Hafeez out completely or tell him to bat at 6.

He has'nt lost confidence check the situation when he comes into bat. Team total is not even 90 and the pathetic batsmen waste too many balls to reach that. The middle order [or seniors] has been struggling for years now, Sarfaraz taking this nepotistic selected team has already put himself in trouble. Then persisting with these players [Azam, Hafeez, Azhar, Malik] is his only fault. The rest of the team has responded to him fine.

 

[Pete Rose]

There will always be too much on any Pakistani skipper's plate. the PCB has a preference for one captain across all formats. If they stick with this, there are very few Pakistan players who are capable of playing 2 out of 3 formats let alone all three.
Its been said enough times, you first make your place in the team as a player and then captain. FWIW, I think he is ok in tests. And yes there are serious question marks about his place in odi's and t20's.
If he wants play all three he needs to find a way for the following to happen:
1 - lose weight
2 - play at no lower than number 4 in t20 and odi (and be willing to give up t20 captaincy if he fails)
3 - get rid of other similar players in the team (azhar, hafeez, malik and a boot up babar azam's backside so that he may score runs of consequence)

A CT winning captain and subsequent 5-0 blanking of SL he had the power to take unpopular decisions, but he will lose this influence because he is fat (while Arthur preaches a different ethos) and unwilling to bat higher.

 

[UP]

Very disappointed with him so far in this series. Team looks lost out there.

 

[Syed1]

 

[Lynx]

He has'nt lost confidence check the situation when he comes into bat. Team total is not even 90 and the pathetic batsmen waste too many balls to reach that. The middle order [or seniors] has been struggling for years now, Sarfaraz taking this nepotistic selected team has already put himself in trouble. Then persisting with these players [Azam, Hafeez, Azhar, Malik] is his only fault. The rest of the team has responded to him fine.

A batsman's confidence doesn't depend on the situation he's coming in to bat. It comes from within. You could be 200/1 but if the next batsman walking out hasn't been in the runs, he will not be confident of scoring runs. Period.

 

[CricFan2012]

Looks like a very limited player, look at how he plays those cuts, but obviously captaincy and keeping are draining him, especially given his horrid fitness.

Quinten de cock is a good keeper because he is fit as heck, also has a better technique doesn't crouch and is mostly balanced.

Therefore Sarfaraz was always a limited player, he is only going to average 30 and should only stay in the team if he is the best keeper in Pakistan, if there is a keeper who can average 40+ and is better at keeping then it has to be rizwan.

PCB needs to play rizwan as a pure batsman and if he performs then make him keeper and drop Sarfaraz, also given that Sarfaraz doesn't show any improvement on fitness and keeps losing matches,

 

[Pete Rose]

Looks like a very limited player, look at how he plays those cuts, but obviously captaincy and keeping are draining him, especially given his horrid fitness.

Quinten de cock is a good keeper because he is fit as heck, also has a better technique doesn't crouch and is mostly balanced.

Therefore Sarfaraz was always a limited player, he is only going to average 30 and should only stay in the team if he is the best keeper in Pakistan, if there is a keeper who can average 40+ and is better at keeping then it has to be rizwan.

PCB needs to play rizwan as a pure batsman and if he performs then make him keeper and drop Sarfaraz, also given that Sarfaraz doesn't show any improvement on fitness and keeps losing matches,

rizwan struggled a fair bit australia

 

[CricFan2012]

rizwan struggled a fair bit australia

He does look good when he is batting and has alright stats in list A, also a terrific fielder, not updated on his keeping however

 

[Saj]

Judging by his waistline it seems he's had a lot on his plate lately.

 

[sjahmed23]

He should give up T20 cricket and focus on odi and tests and work on his fitness. The charm of champions trophy has faded now he has to prove himself all over again after this series debacle.

Why do Pakistani cricketers always cease to perform upto their expectations its like we're stuck in twilight zone. Seeing the samething happen over and over to different players in different times ...

 

[ayemgilani86]

the problem is the same middle order of malik and hafeez, it prevents sarfaraz from batting up, hes not a no 6 or 7 batsman, he would be best suited at 4.
we won chamopions trophy because of new players not hafeez or malik, Hafeez is only useful if he can bowl, and as a batsman he should bat above 6

 

[Usman Chadda]

He does look good when he is batting and has alright stats in list A, also a terrific fielder, not updated on his keeping however

Rizwan is terrible on pitches with pace and bounce. Which Rizwan have you seen bat?

 

[thelandofthebravepeople]

Sarfaraz is 30 according to most websites, but definetly like most Pakistan cricketers cheated with age at least by 2 years and maybe upto 4 years.

He's fat and need to work on his fitness. It's only a matter of time before he's ousted as captain. Will be lucky to survive til 2019 WC.

 

[Sirris]

The circle around him is getting thinner with every game. In the first ODI he dropped Williamson and the second game he went missing. surely such poor performances can't go on for too long.

 

[Sirris]

Rizwan is terrible on pitches with pace and bounce. Which Rizwan have you seen bat?

I hope Rizwan has been working on his batting and we can see some improvement in the near future. Find it hard to believe that a committed guy like him won't find ways to improve his batting.

 

[Saj]

One thing that is very noticeable with Sarfaraz is how little the likes of Shoaib Malik talk to him and advise him when the team is fielding.

 

[TeymurBlake]

He could potentially work on his fitness but I would also like to see him focus on Test & ODI cricket. He T20 is not really a format he should play. But right now there isn't a limited overs WK that you can bring in. Gauhar Ali is too young like Rohail Nazir, Rizwan needs to work on his batting skills, I've not heard much about Mohammad Hasan in T20 cricket and Kamran Akmal needs to stay away from the squad.

 

[CadPakFan]

Even though he seems mediocre he already has done what Virat Kohli will be dreaming of doing! (performing in England). So I will say wait until the end of the series and you will something from Sarfraz. But yes I do agree he has bad eating habits and I truly believe that if he can get rid of that he can possibly be one of the best batsmen in Pakistan.

 

[MMHS]

He could potentially work on his fitness but I would also like to see him focus on Test & ODI cricket. He T20 is not really a format he should play. But right now there isn't a limited overs WK that you can bring in. Gauhar Ali is too young like Rohail Nazir, Rizwan needs to work on his batting skills, I've not heard much about Mohammad Hasan in T20 cricket and Kamran Akmal needs to stay away from the squad.

T20 is THE ONLY format where, may be he can stay in his position for the time being.

Let me explain why - what I understand is 90% of his selection merit these days is his Brearly like Captaincy. PAK is probably 6th in Test ranks, 7th in ODI (hopefully should go to 8 by end of Jan), means the team is poor - you can't hide MJ Brearley in that XI.

But, in T20 it's quite a formidable unit and team can accommodate one such inspirational dynamic leader. In T20, you don't need 6/7 batsmen - Sarf can easily drop himself down one by one after Imad, Shadab, Fahim, Hasan, even Amir and it'll be beneficiary for the team as well. His batting will be required only if PAK is 40-5 in a T20 game, which if happens regularly, PAK won't be among top 2/3 ranks in short time. Besides, I am not sure if you are familiar with Baseball, but in T20, WK's role isn't much different from 1st baseman - 120 balls, may be 1 snick, and one stumping chance.... he won't do much damage, unless it's of like Butlar, AB, Gayle, Munro, Maxi .......

ODI is the most complex game and PAK is weakest there - can't carry even Mike Brearley's Mentor.

 

[Sadevdesai]

..... in more ways than one !!!!!!

 

[PakSarZameen]

One thing that is very noticeable with Sarfaraz is how little the likes of Shoaib Malik talk to him and advise him when the team is fielding.

He only has himself to blame. Doesn't bowl Malik, makes him field on the boundary.

Clearly doesn't want Malik to be around him.

 

[paklvr_82]

One thing that is very noticeable with Sarfaraz is how little the likes of Shoaib Malik talk to him and advise him when the team is fielding.

What extraordinary advise can Malik give when he himself averages around 9 in New Zealand, even after playing for 17 years and countless tours there.
Malik is part of the problem that is bringing the whole team down, the batting collapses and the defensive mindset. The guy waw in the last NZ tour also and remained miserable thruout still is playing in the side sheds some light on our system. Both these bhaiyas [Hafeez and him]piled on around 5+ overs of dot balls, he himself needs some jolt or advise from kid like Shadab how to change his frame of mind from defensive to help the team.

 

[Savak]

Every captain now and then will make mistakes in the field and matches with decision making and planning. Every captain has his own leadership style and how he goes about things. Sarfaraz will need more time to mould the team. But what should not be tolerated is turning up for national duty and not being 100% fit and not meeting fitness standards.

 

[waleed88]

One thing that is very noticeable with Sarfaraz is how little the likes of Shoaib Malik talk to him and advise him when the team is fielding.

What benefit did Azhar Ali get from 2 experienced chaps in the team (Hafeez, Malik)

 

[The intelligent Supporter]

Looks like a very limited player, look at how he plays those cuts, but obviously captaincy and keeping are draining him, especially given his horrid fitness.

Quinten de cock is a good keeper because he is fit as heck, also has a better technique doesn't crouch and is mostly balanced.

Therefore Sarfaraz was always a limited player, he is only going to average 30 and should only stay in the team if he is the best keeper in Pakistan, if there is a keeper who can average 40+ and is better at keeping then it has to be rizwan.

PCB needs to play rizwan as a pure batsman and if he performs then make him keeper and drop Sarfaraz, also given that Sarfaraz doesn't show any improvement on fitness and keeps losing matches,

Rizwan and Batsman should never be used in the same sentence. Absolute pathetic player. It was down right painful to watch him bumping around in Australia.

 

[The intelligent Supporter]

He does look good when he is batting and has alright stats in list A, also a terrific fielder, not updated on his keeping however

Do you have any examples or videos etc? I have never seen him even trying to be fluent.

 

[hitthestump]

In Pakistani dressing rooms once there's any sort of argument for power it causes all sorts of problems. Clearly the selectors wanted Safaraz to be a kind of "dictator" to dis-encourage groupings and conspirators. However i agree it's too much for him to handle, the poor guy has quite literally forgotten how to bat.

 

[TeymurBlake]

T20 is THE ONLY format where, may be he can stay in his position for the time being.

Let me explain why - what I understand is 90% of his selection merit these days is his Brearly like Captaincy. PAK is probably 6th in Test ranks, 7th in ODI (hopefully should go to 8 by end of Jan), means the team is poor - you can't hide MJ Brearley in that XI.

But, in T20 it's quite a formidable unit and team can accommodate one such inspirational dynamic leader. In T20, you don't need 6/7 batsmen - Sarf can easily drop himself down one by one after Imad, Shadab, Fahim, Hasan, even Amir and it'll be beneficiary for the team as well. His batting will be required only if PAK is 40-5 in a T20 game, which if happens regularly, PAK won't be among top 2/3 ranks in short time. Besides, I am not sure if you are familiar with Baseball, but in T20, WK's role isn't much different from 1st baseman - 120 balls, may be 1 snick, and one stumping chance.... he won't do much damage, unless it's of like Butlar, AB, Gayle, Munro, Maxi .......

ODI is the most complex game and PAK is weakest there - can't carry even Mike Brearley's Mentor.

So from what your saying is that in Test/ODI cricket he is required to do alot whereas in T20 his captaincy is the only important thing besides wicketkeeping.

But wouldn't leaving t20 cricket allow him to focus more on Test & ODI cricket or is it too late for him due to his age and lack of fitness.

 

[OmarKhan99]

Sarfaraz is 30 according to most websites, but definetly like most Pakistan cricketers cheated with age at least by 2 years and maybe upto 4 years.

He's fat and need to work on his fitness. It's only a matter of time before he's ousted as captain. Will be lucky to survive til 2019 WC.

I like when people say this. Who's the alternative? It is good to live in an ideal world, but in reality, there is no wicket keeper-batsmen better than Sarfraz in Pakistan at the moment. On top, he is easily also the best captain in the squad. The only thing he needs to do is work on his fitness.
And about the age, just reel up some clips from the 2006 U19 WC. He was easily 18 and hence 30 is probably the right age.

 

[AssassinatedDevil]

Sarfaraz is 30 according to most websites, but definetly like most Pakistan cricketers cheated with age at least by 2 years and maybe upto 4 years.

He's fat and need to work on his fitness. It's only a matter of time before he's ousted as captain. Will be lucky to survive til 2019 WC.

Ousted and replaced by whom exactly? You are suggesting to sack the man who led our team to a tournament win in the past year? He's not as slim as someone like kohli but he has clearly worked on his fitness but seems to have gained some weight sadly.. A couple bad games dont mean its the end of the world.

 

[The_Odd_One]

His workload is fine. Pakistan does not play as much cricket as other top teams.

 

[Noman]

Ousted and replaced by whom exactly? You are suggesting to sack the man who led our team to a tournament win in the past year? He's not as slim as someone like kohli but he has clearly worked on his fitness but seems to have gained some weight sadly.. A couple bad games dont mean its the end of the world.

No One is saying he should be AS fit AS Kohli. We fans understand This. But AS a international cricketer, keeper and captain of Pakistan One should be fit and agile. Sarfraz is AS fat as my 52 years mamoon. My uncle might be fitter according to his age. Sarfraz should be told he Will get sacked If his fitness does not improve. . We could play Umar akmal or make any other batsman keep and bat. Late Bob woolmer once Said it does not Take more than 10 weeks to get fit If One wants to get that. Sarfraz fitness and belly is ugly and disgracefull. As a fan of him I am so angry and dissapointed. No One should undroppable. Sarfraz should be dropped after this series and told to improve his fitness and make Malik captain for odi and t20 for a 6 months period

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Not too much on his plate. dont even consider the test team unit, there is a year gap for the next series..

I dont see much wrong in his captaincy, his fitness is poor no doubt about it that costs him in his keeping and if his batsmen were struggling at the top of the order then nothing much he can do for that...

Both games lost 3-4 wickets inside 10 overs and have to bat remaining 40 overs with only half the team where half of it were bowlers..

 

[CricFan2012]

Do you have any examples or videos etc? I have never seen him even trying to be fluent.

I saw a domestic highlights where he won a difficult match while chasing

 

[CricFan2012]

People might be giving Sarfraz too much credit on the CT as well.

Maybe Azhar could have won as a captain because of Mickey, and Hasan firing

 

[OmarKhan99]

No One is saying he should be AS fit AS Kohli. We fans understand This. But AS a international cricketer, keeper and captain of Pakistan One should be fit and agile. Sarfraz is AS fat as my 52 years mamoon. My uncle might be fitter according to his age. Sarfraz should be told he Will get sacked If his fitness does not improve. . We could play Umar akmal or make any other batsman keep and bat. Late Bob woolmer once Said it does not Take more than 10 weeks to get fit If One wants to get that. Sarfraz fitness and belly is ugly and disgracefull. As a fan of him I am so angry and dissapointed. No One should undroppable. Sarfraz should be dropped after this series and told to improve his fitness and make Malik captain for odi and t20 for a 6 months period

Yes, that worked out quite well last time around. I can't wait for Pakistani team to be exuding unity under him.....
Malik himself doesn't warrant a place in the side, based on performance. He clearly doesn't even want to bowl. Although I believe Malik should be there for his hard hitting abilities, but it's just ludicrous to make him captain when he is yet to perform anywhere apart from Sub continent from 2016-Today. Also, if your mamoo can pass a Yo-yo test (the rigirous test you have to pass to be selected) at the age of 52, then kudos to him.

 

[OmarKhan99]

I saw a domestic highlights where he won a difficult match while chasing

Are you referring to the t20 cup a couple of years ago? Yeah, he looked good in that tournament. He is a very good batsment but mostly against medium-fast pacers and spinners (athlough he struggled to pick Adil Rashid from Eng). Against pace and bounce, he looks all at sea. We don't have to look too far to see that: just look at his performances in NZ and Australia in the 2016-2017 season.

 

[AssassinatedDevil]

No One is saying he should be AS fit AS Kohli. We fans understand This. But AS a international cricketer, keeper and captain of Pakistan One should be fit and agile. Sarfraz is AS fat as my 52 years mamoon. My uncle might be fitter according to his age. Sarfraz should be told he Will get sacked If his fitness does not improve. . We could play Umar akmal or make any other batsman keep and bat. Late Bob woolmer once Said it does not Take more than 10 weeks to get fit If One wants to get that. Sarfraz fitness and belly is ugly and disgracefull. As a fan of him I am so angry and dissapointed. No One should undroppable. Sarfraz should be dropped after this series and told to improve his fitness and make Malik captain for odi and t20 for a 6 months period

Sarfraz has never been the leanest player on the field and relating a dip in form to his minimal weight gain isn't exactly fair. He wasn't very lean in his purple patch in 2014 but he was still amongst one of our best players. He keeps wicket for 50 overs and he doesnt seem overly exhausted and neither does he go off the field because of cramps. He is able to pass the fitness tests and henceforth he is in the team.

Dropping sarfraz because of so called "fitness" issues would be the rashest decision the pakistani camp can make. As for Malik captaining the ODI and T20 team, that would be the most counter-productive use of our resources. Malik barely makes the team on merit these days. Soon enough Haris will become a regular instead of malik. And incase we are actually going to be suicidal and drop Sarfraz, atleast appoint a young captain to groom him for the future, but then again, not sure who could take charge from amongst them.

 

[Noman]

Sarfraz has never been the leanest player on the field and relating a dip in form to his minimal weight gain isn't exactly fair. He wasn't very lean in his purple patch in 2014 but he was still amongst one of our best players. He keeps wicket for 50 overs and he doesnt seem overly exhausted and neither does he go off the field because of cramps. He is able to pass the fitness tests and henceforth he is in the team.

Dropping sarfraz because of so called "fitness" issues would be the rashest decision the pakistani camp can make. As for Malik captaining the ODI and T20 team, that would be the most counter-productive use of our resources. Malik barely makes the team on merit these days. Soon enough Haris will become a regular instead of malik. And incase we are actually going to be suicidal and drop Sarfraz, atleast appoint a young captain to groom him for the future, but then again, not sure who could take charge from amongst them.

Well. Malik is the player who told the players that We need to play fearless cricket in CT17. It was who spoke up. We need experiance in the team. Biryani Sarfraz is the captain of Pakistan cricket team. The Main sport in Pakistan. 200 millions people has This fat guy as a national captain. This is a shame. What is the reason he is in the team now? Earning 10 crore+ and getting fatter and fatter. When he is dropping easy catches and batting like a tailender. When he is running between the wickets he is huffing and puffing at the start of the inning. I am 100% sure that biryani Sarfraz is not doing Well in Those yo-yo test is he even taking Them. I have taken yo-yo test. It is actually quit easy. It is a fitness test and depend a lot on your legs and running stamina and as a keeper You are have you are bending knows and the Body. You do not need to be strong. He has This muscle memory and he do not need to pass that test. Malik should be made captain and tell him his job is also to identify the future captain for Pakistan after he is made 6 months period captain. Biryani Sarfraz should be come back with better fitness ala Umar akmal.

 

[MRSN]

Well. Malik is the player who told the players that We need to play fearless cricket in CT17. It was who spoke up. We need experiance in the team. Biryani Sarfraz is the captain of Pakistan cricket team. The Main sport in Pakistan. 200 millions people has This fat guy as a national captain. This is a shame. What is the reason he is in the team now? Earning 10 crore+ and getting fatter and fatter. When he is dropping easy catches and batting like a tailender. When he is running between the wickets he is huffing and puffing at the start of the inning. I am 100% sure that biryani Sarfraz is not doing Well in Those yo-yo test is he even taking Them. I have taken yo-yo test. It is actually quit easy. It is a fitness test and depend a lot on your legs and running stamina and as a keeper You are have you are bending knows and the Body. You do not need to be strong. He has This muscle memory and he do not need to pass that test. Malik should be made captain and tell him his job is also to identify the future captain for Pakistan after he is made 6 months period captain. Biryani Sarfraz should be come back with better fitness ala Umar akmal.

it's incredible that all our fans, selectors have double standards especially when it comes to fitness. So it's okay for Sarfraz Ahmed the captain of the team who still has to prove his legendary status as a player and who also seems to be our main wicket keeper is so fat that he can't even take second run without having the umpires to check if he made home and grab simple catches that any keeper these days would be able to hold on to if he was fit? Sarfraz lack of fitness would have made sense if he was some legend playing his last few months of cricket but come on this guy just got made captain what kind of inspiration he will give his team mates by carrying that heavy belly? Not to forget his non existent performance as a player and his yelling and growling at players. It's very tough for me to say this but I can safely say Azhar was miles better captain than him.

 

[MMHS]

So from what your saying is that in Test/ODI cricket he is required to do alot whereas in T20 his captaincy is the only important thing besides wicketkeeping.

But wouldn't leaving t20 cricket allow him to focus more on Test & ODI cricket or is it too late for him due to his age and lack of fitness.

I am not saying that T20 is least important, or his Captaincy is only important thing in T20. Rather, you have to read it from other end - no player should Captain a Cricket team unless he makes as a player. But, here, we have to consider (unfortunately) the "net" value of his output : positives from dynamic captaincy (& the charging work that he does for the youngsters through his yelling) vs negatives from individual contribution as a player and damage done by poor keeping & fitness.

What I am trying to say is, may be, it's only in T20 that the "Net value" might be positive. Though, I must admit, I posted that before looking at his stats in last 10 T20 games for PAK.

T20s work load is much lower than a Test match or an ODI for a WK (that's for equal match distance - like playing 2 T20s in exchange of an ODI in a day or 10 T20s in exchange of a Test in 5 days), therefore he might manage the work load. Or you can say, leaving T20 hardly matters in that respect of saving energy.

Besides, T20 is the shortest game, hardly 11 players get involved in one game, so you can hide 1/2 players. Azhar Ali rightly mentioned that T10 should be played by 9 players, because there is just not enough time forr every player to come in action; while in Test match over 5 days, every player has to contribute in his role at some point - none more than a WK, when it comes to work load. Add to that batting & Captaincy - it's not fair for a player struggling for form, fitness & age (for the job).

 

[Saj]

The harsh reality at the moment is that in all 3 formats there is no real alternative to Sarfaraz as captain.

That perhaps has made him a little conplacent.

 

[blue_champion]

Usually pick the best X1 and then pick the captain... is Sarfraz the best keeper bat in Pakistan? Well Sarfraz is a very below par cricketer.

Before a champions trophy reference is thrown my way.... it’s Pakistan team that won the CT and not Sarfaraz.... same goes for Dhoni as well for all his accomplishments as a captain.

Difference is Dhoni individually is a ODI ATG and one of the top keeper- bats of all time.

 

[MenInG]

Unfortunately, this seems to be the issue.

 

[prop558]

the problem is the same middle order of malik and hafeez, it prevents sarfaraz from batting up, hes not a no 6 or 7 batsman, he would be best suited at 4.
we won chamopions trophy because of new players not hafeez or malik, Hafeez is only useful if he can bowl, and as a batsman he should bat above 6

100% correct.

PCB should permanently get rid of Hafeez, Malik, Akmal brothers & Wahab Riaz

 

[prop558]

Usually pick the best X1 and then pick the captain... is Sarfraz the best keeper bat in Pakistan? Well Sarfraz is a very below par cricketer.

Before a champions trophy reference is thrown my way.... it’s Pakistan team that won the CT and not Sarfaraz.... same goes for Dhoni as well for all his accomplishments as a captain.

Difference is Dhoni individually is a ODI ATG and one of the top keeper- bats of all time.

As keeper batsman, I dont rate Dhoni higher than Gilchrist and Sangakkara

 

[Hamstead_joy]

If there were some who would be looking into whats in Malik and Azam's plate we probably might' ve avoided this despicable defeat. Still at one point, can't fathom the score was so mind-boggling 32 for 8[wickets] and unimaginable. If not for Sarfaraz, no.10 Amir and no.11 Raees, the seniors in middle order were looking to break the record of the lowest score Pakistan ever made in an international. This pitch was nothing super compared to that defeat in Cape Town. They just surrendered.

 

[Itachi]

Sarfaraz at 4? Seriously?

 

[Sadevdesai]

Sooooo ..... is Sarfraz a, “Captain”, first time ever in a Cricket Match ????? What a joke ????

 

[Usman Chadda]

Well. Malik is the player who told the players that We need to play fearless cricket in CT17. It was who spoke up. We need experiance in the team. Biryani Sarfraz is the captain of Pakistan cricket team. The Main sport in Pakistan. 200 millions people has This fat guy as a national captain. This is a shame. What is the reason he is in the team now? Earning 10 crore+ and getting fatter and fatter. When he is dropping easy catches and batting like a tailender. When he is running between the wickets he is huffing and puffing at the start of the inning. I am 100% sure that biryani Sarfraz is not doing Well in Those yo-yo test is he even taking Them. I have taken yo-yo test. It is actually quit easy. It is a fitness test and depend a lot on your legs and running stamina and as a keeper You are have you are bending knows and the Body. You do not need to be strong. He has This muscle memory and he do not need to pass that test. Malik should be made captain and tell him his job is also to identify the future captain for Pakistan after he is made 6 months period captain. Biryani Sarfraz should be come back with better fitness ala Umar akmal.

Did you see Malik bat today? I would be more embarrassed by how one of our top order batter fronts up to genuine pace. A tail-ender would look better. Sarfraz has sacrificed himself for Hafeez and Malik, and he is paying for it dearly.

 

[OmarKhan99]

Did you see Malik bat today? I would be more embarrassed by how one of our top order batter fronts up to genuine pace. A tail-ender would look better. Sarfraz has sacrificed himself for Hafeez and Malik, and he is paying for it dearly.

Agreed to the brim. We all feared a time will come when Sarfraz's position will come under scrutiny if he permanently sacrifices his place for the seniors. Never imagined it would arrive this fresh into his reign.