[Report] Babar Azam to be sacked after ICC World Cup 2023 - Sarfaraz, Shaheen and Rizwan emerge as potential replacements

[MenInG]

As per a media reports:

There is a clear consensus developing in the Pakistan Cricket Board that Babar has had his chance to prove himself and he has failed to deliver as captain.

Pakistan have four more league games left in the World Cup, having lost their last three including against Afghanistan on Monday. They can still qualify for the semifinals.

"Only if Pakistan can stage a miracle and win all their remaining matches to qualify for the semi-finals of this World Cup does Babar stand any chance of surviving as captain and even then he might be relegated to skipper in just the red ball format,” one reliable source close to the developments said.

The source said that the knives were out for Babar and he might as well announce his resignation as captain if the team returns home without playing in the World Cup semifinals.

“It is over for Babar because he has been given unbridled power and authority as captain and more importantly he has always had players of his choice in the team.

"There has never been any attempt to reduce his authority and so he is now being held solely responsible for the Asia Cup and World Cup defeats,” the source added.

He noted that even for the Asia Cup and World Cup, despite advice from former captains Misbah ul Haq and Muhammad Hafeez to make some changes for the event in India, Babar had got all the 18 players he asked for and chief selector, Inzamam ul Haq had also supported him completely.

“The PCB Chairman, Zaka Ashraf ignored the advice of Misbah and Hafeez and some other former players whom he consulted as Babar was adamant he didn’t want changes in the team for the World Cup,” the source said.

Misbah also confirmed on a television channel that he had advised Babar to include mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed in the World Cup but Babar refused and only agreed to take him as a travelling reserve to India.

The interesting part is that lobbies for the possible candidates including Sarfaraz, Shaheen, Rizwan and Shan Masood have started their work to get their candidate selected as captain with the board now likely to name different captains for the red and white ball formats.

“Sarfaraz might win the nod to captain the Test and ODI sides again while Shaheen may get a chance to be the T20 captain,” the source added. Sarfaraz is currently not part of the World Cup squad.

The source also disclosed that the support staff of Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, Mornie Merkel, Andrew Puttick and manager Rehan ul Haq are also under the scanner and will be asked to step down after the World Cup.

“They are very bright chances that Pakistan will have a new coaching staff and captain when they embark on the Test tour of Australia and for the white ball series in New Zealand after the WC,” the source said.

The source said that the board was also not happy with reports leaking out of some differences and disputes in the dressing room, something that PCB rubbished on Monday.

Is Babar facing the axe? 3 stars emerge as candidates to become Pakistan captain amid disappointing WC campaign - Report

There is a clear consensus developing in the Pakistan Cricket Board that Babar has had his chance to prove himself and he has failed to deliver as captain.

www.hindustantimes.com

 

[Rana]

Sarfaraz might win the nod for this and Shaheen might win the nod for that

Not sure if it’s a national duty or national lottery

 

[BouncerGuy]

Babar can just focus on his batting skills, to be honest. Not necessary that a good player be a good captain. I think it is good for Babar to leave the captaincy and focus on what he does best.

 

[Thanos]

Misbah and Hafeez bailed out at right time and are proven right now.

 

[cricenjoyer]

Feel bad for whoever gets test captaincy considering our next assignment is an away tour vs Australia. Don't see anything but a whitewash and knowing how reactionary our fans and media are, the captain will be under scrutiny straight away

 

[Devadwal]

Sarfraz is done and dusted . move on

 

[chinaman00]

Babar should have never been the captain in the first place. Pleased to hear rumors of major reshuffle after the World Cup, but the PCB should address the root causes of such successive meltdowns by the national team in major tournaments. You can’t address these issues by simply rearranging the deck and instituting cosmetic changes. There has to be systematic and culture changes.

The entire system should be overhauled and a good starting point is studying the transformative changes done by small cricketing nations like New Zealand and South Africa.

Pakistan has to play exciting and competitive cricket for sponsors and fans to have any hope in this team.

Else, we will have the same discussions in the 2027 World Cup.

 

[Aviator]

How come sarfaraz became an automatic pick?
Its ridiculous, a guy who can't save his spot in team as a player can be considered as captain.

 

[Major]

A bit stupid to bring Sarfraz back who cant bat at interantional level.

Pakistan has Rizwan who is performing in all three formats. So the keeper is not going anywhere, and we cant play both sarfraz and rizwan because sarfraz is a walking wicket. Instead, of Sarfraz a batter can be added to the team.

I dont know if Shaheen or Rizwan are good candidates for captaincy.

Shaheen has never captained a domestic List A game or First Class game. Making Shaheen captain is the same mistake they made when they made Babar the captain. This time around go with someone that has experience with captaining the team.

The candidates should be Rizwan, Iftikhar, Saud Shakeel

Saud Shakeel will play ODI and Test so if he has first class captaincy experience and is good than make him the captain.
Similarly, if Rizwan has done well as captain in domestic cricket than make him captain for all three formats or for limited overs atleast.

Shaheen has captained in t20 cricket, that means nothing. You need long format captaincy experience. Even Babar got Pakistan to a World T20 final and we know what a joke of a captain he has been.

Rizwan has played years of cricket with SNGPL and i think he might have experience, and so does maybe Saud Shakeel. Look at that experience, see whether he did well as a captain or not, and than take the decision.

Iftikhar Ahmad was also given captaincy of SNGPL and KPK, he has done very well and I think KPK won under his captaincy. So he should not be ignored aswell. He is a better lower order hitter compared to all other guys and should get a world T20 aswell

Bringing back sarfraz just to wag the tails of karachi media is the dumbest move ever. Sarfraz cant bat in international cricket, at most he will play 1 more year of cricket and than he will again be exposed and we will be changing captains and be back to square one.

 

[CerebralPatriot]

Hearing that Sarfraz is the top contender for test and ODI captaincy is making me feel optimistic for the future of Pakistan cricket.

 

[CerebralPatriot]

Sarfraz is done and dusted . move on

lol he was our top scorer vs NZ this year

He is far from done and dusted. He is next in line to be captain and will probably be leading the team for at least four more years

 

[Rana]

A bit stupid to bring Sarfraz back who cant bat at interantional level.

Pakistan has Rizwan who is performing in all three formats. So the keeper is not going anywhere, and we cant play both sarfraz and rizwan because sarfraz is a walking wicket. Instead, of Sarfraz a batter can be added to the team.

I dont know if Shaheen or Rizwan are good candidates for captaincy.

Shaheen has never captained a domestic List A game or First Class game. Making Shaheen captain is the same mistake they made when they made Babar the captain. This time around go with someone that has experience with captaining the team.

The candidates should be Rizwan, Iftikhar, Saud Shakeel

Saud Shakeel will play ODI and Test so if he has first class captaincy experience and is good than make him the captain.
Similarly, if Rizwan has done well as captain in domestic cricket than make him captain for all three formats or for limited overs atleast.

Shaheen has captained in t20 cricket, that means nothing. You need long format captaincy experience. Even Babar got Pakistan to a World T20 final and we know what a joke of a captain he has been.

Rizwan has played years of cricket with SNGPL and i think he might have experience, and so does maybe Saud Shakeel. Look at that experience, see whether he did well as a captain or not, and than take the decision.

Iftikhar Ahmad was also given captaincy of SNGPL and KPK, he has done very well and I think KPK won under his captaincy. So he should not be ignored aswell. He is a better lower order hitter compared to all other guys and should get a world T20 aswell

Bringing back sarfraz just to wag the tails of karachi media is the dumbest move ever. Sarfraz cant bat in international cricket, at most he will play 1 more year of cricket and than he will again be exposed and we will be changing captains and be back to square one.

A bit stupid to bring Sarfraz back who cant bat at interantional level.

Why couldn’t Rizwan bat on roads against England for Sarfaraz to come back and prove that he is the best keeper batsman in the country???

As I said major, leave cricket debates. Go and cry about the size of sight screens in Indian stadiums

 

[Major]

Misbah and Hafeez bailed out at right time and are proven right now.

Well there has been a number of times Misbah was proven right.
Misbah is still the unpaid chairman of techncle comititee and i think they will ask for Misbah's preference this time because now Zaka will understand that he was right about the spinner issue

 

[Jazx]

Would be a good decision to remove babar as captain, but it would be horrible to bring back Sarfaraz as captain for the ODIs who is not even suitable have a place in this format.

 

[Swashbuckler]

Doubt anyone would want test captaincy ahead of the tour to Australia. Poisoned chalice that one.

 

[Rana]

Hearing that Sarfraz is the top contender for test and ODI captaincy is making me feel optimistic for the future of Pakistan cricket.

It’s an honest apology to the man who has been done wrong by these self serving, corrupt individuals

 

[Major]

Why couldn’t Rizwan bat on roads against England for Sarfaraz to come back and prove that he is the best keeper batsman in the country???

As I said major, leave cricket debates. Go and cry about the size of sight screens in Indian stadiums

Remember when a medium pacer gave a concussion to Sarfraz and than Rizwan came in and batted well.

You along with every karachite media wala were soo angry that why Rizwan came in as substitute that all of you were hoping that Rizwan would get out so that the concussed Sarfraz's career can be saved.

So we know your neyat towards pakistan cricket already, so no need to come qoute me and say leave cricket debate. If fools like you can make 1000 rizwan posts everyday, than maybe the likes of me can share our opinion aswell

 

[Rana]

Would be a good decision to remove babar as captain, but it would be horrible to bring back Sarfaraz as captain for the ODIs who is not even suitable have a place in this format.

Why is he not suitable considering the duds you have in this current XI????

 

[CerebralPatriot]

It’s an honest apology to the man who has been done wrong by these self serving, corrupt individuals

Time and patience that's all I can say

He waited four gruelling years. Four years being abused by thankless fans, four years of sitting on the sidelines, four years of being forced to be a water boy and now we who supported him finally get our retribution

He will bring Pakistan cricket back on track

 

[Rana]

Remember when a medium pacer gave a concussion to Sarfraz and than Rizwan came in and batted well.

You along with every karachite media wala were soo angry that why Rizwan came in as substitute that all of you were hoping that Rizwan would get out so that the concussed Sarfraz's career can be saved.

So we know your neyat towards pakistan cricket already, so no need to come qoute me and say leave cricket debate. If fools like you can make 1000 rizwan posts everyday, than maybe the likes of me can share our opinion aswell

No you are making fun of Sarfaraz’s concussion?

Rizwan’s legs are split in half by any decent spinner who gets a slight bit of purchase from the pitch.

The biggest Drameybaaz in the history of theatre

 

[Falconslions]

Sarfaraz is 36.
Please not him.

 

[Major]

Posters who watch domestic and Pakistan A cricket, tell us how well did Saud Shakil captained Pakistan A as he held the captaincy position few times.
And how well did Iftikhar captaincy KPK when he also held the captaincy positon?

I have never seen those games on tv, so i dont know. But if they were good captains, with good changes and good playing 11s than make one of them as captain

 

[Asif321]

Sarfraz could be a T20 WC captain since it’s just 6-7 month and that’s it . Shaheen takes over odi and after WC t20s . Rizwan takes over test

 

[shokz1408]

I’d love to see Sarfaraz back as captain for tests and ODIs. Really tough Aussies tour coming though we are bound to lose regardless whoever captains. But as long as the boys give their 100% effort and fight till the end. A fighter like Sarfaraz is what Pakistan needs as their captain. Should never have been stripped of captaincy in the first place, we would have performed much better under him this World Cup with a different selection of players.

 

[Major]

Sarfraz could be a T20 WC captain since it’s just 6-7 month and that’s it . Shaheen takes over odi and after WC t20s . Rizwan takes over test

why do we need to give 6-7 months to a guy who cant bat?
There is no way Rizwan is gonna be dropped from the T20 team. Sarfraz's quetta gladiators captaincy itself was a big laughing stock.

Shaheen is almost confirmed as T20 captain, that everyone knows. Issue is ODI and Test. Plus the next tour is a test series in Australia

 

[TheSultan]

The most sensible thing to do would be the following: (I know it won’t happen, but I’ll put it out there):

There are no clear captaincy candidates. Start grooming now. It’s not just the choice of captain, the vice captain imo is more important.

The immediate captain for each format should be a caretaker, with the vice captain taking over for a long stint in 2 years time.

White ball:
- Imad captain for both white ball formats
- Saud vice captain for ODIs
- for consistency, Saud also captain for T20Is. However, not opposed to Shaheen for T20s, but I don’t like the idea of two different captains for white ball. We need a unified approach.

Tests:
- Sarfraz captain
- Saud vice captain

2025/26, the Vice Captain of each format takes over.

 

[cricenjoyer]

Sarfraz could be a T20 WC captain since it’s just 6-7 month and that’s it . Shaheen takes over odi and after WC t20s . Rizwan takes over test

Sarfraz hasn't even take his PSL team into the qualifiers in four consecutive years, plus who's he gonna replace in the T20 team

 

[hass]

Babar losing the ODI captaincy is the right call without doubt. This is not an Arteta and Arsenal situation where you should stick it out and build on a promising base. There is a fundamental lack of any tactical understanding and selection has been influenced by friendship and other non-cricketing reasons such as religiousity. We have seen this philosophy play out in the managing structure of the team as well which has to stop. It's why Inzamam going is just as important as the captaincy changing too. Inzi is a woeful selector. I mean who picks a T20 team for an ODI World Cup? Not even selecting players for the conditions.

The problem for Pakistan is the lack of alternatives. The captain has to be one of the best players who is not losing their place any time soon (so very few candidates) but also have captaincy credentials.

I think right now given the situation, you almost can't give it to anyone other than Rizwan. One thing no one can level at Rizwan is lack of balls as a player. He has a lot more courage than Babar and is willing to lead from the front. And he has SOME credentials behind him due to PSL. I think he would at least be more of an aggressive captain. But the situation with reviews has to calm down massively.

Not the best options for Pak but Rizwan is a front runner IMO.

 

[Rana]

Sarfraz could be a T20 WC captain since it’s just 6-7 month and that’s it . Shaheen takes over odi and after WC t20s . Rizwan takes over test

Rizwan can’t bat

He was exposed in Test cricket. He should be written off in this format

 

[CerebralPatriot]

why do we need to give 6-7 months to a guy who cant bat?
There is no way Rizwan is gonna be dropped from the T20 team. Sarfraz's quetta gladiators captaincy itself was a big laughing stock.

Shaheen is almost confirmed as T20 captain, that everyone knows. Issue is ODI and Test. Plus the next tour is a test series in Australia

The guy who can't bat has been opening the batting in T20s for us

The guy who can't bat is batting at 4 for us

We have given him such a long rope, so I see now harm in bringing back the guy who won us two tournaments

 

[ChTab]

lol he was our top scorer vs NZ this year

He is far from done and dusted. He is next in line to be captain and will probably be leading the team for at least four more years

If this happens then I don't think we will even play the 27 WC just like WI didn't played this one

 

[Major]

The guy who can't bat has been opening the batting in T20s for us

The guy who can't bat is batting at 4 for us

We have given him such a long rope, so I see now harm in bringing back the guy who won us two tournaments

ICC gave him an award for being the T20 player of the year.

 

[Rana]

ICC gave him an award for being the T20 player of the year.

Yeah we should trust ICC with their flawed ranking system??

Pakistan is the number 1 ODI team????

 

[Thanos]

After Babar only Shaheen and Rizwan are regular members of the team.
Shaheen being fast bowler and prone to injury could be a risky choice.
Though Sarfaraz is not regular but he is in race due to experience.
So it goes down to Rizwan or Sarfaraz.

Damn, Pak is in real need of some good players to emerge.
The current lot doesn't even have 5 players who could be considered permanent and remotely worthy of captaincy.

 

[TheSultan]

Yeah we should trust ICC with their flawed ranking system??

Pakistan is the number 1 ODI team????

These guys will never learn. The evidence is right in front of them and they’re still going on about ICC standings/rankings etc

 

[Major]

Yeah we should trust ICC with their flawed ranking system??

Pakistan is the number 1 ODI team????

Where did i mentioned ICC ranking? ICC never gives award based on ranking, they give award based on performance.

 

[oatmeal]

Bringing back Sarfaraz would be a major step backwards. Rizwan seems to be the logical choice for captain as his place in the playing XI is guaranteed. Shaheen's fitness issues will cause problems if he's captain

 

[Cover Drive Six]

I wonder how the critics and fans who want Babar to be sacked from the captaincy will react if Pakistan manages to reach the semifinals.
What about all these talks? Will they stick to their opinions or change?

 

[MMHS]

Sarfraz again …. Really??!!

I know there is limitations - really no obvious choice, and there is lot to do with PAK’s internal/regional politics here; but that guy will be 37 next May, officially I must say…. Next WC will be three years thereafter (or Champions trophy 1.5! Years). That means, either PAK will carry an officially 40 years old captain, that too a WK to a WC in SAF ….. or, appoint someone raw few months before WC.

There is a third option and I am sure that will happen if Sarfraz is appointed - he’ll take charge, PAK will go back to “ranking booster” games and apparently Sarfraz will look like the messiah he was & he won’t rest for a single game, won’t allow any deputy to lead “softer” games until the roof collapses on head (read, he becomes wider than taller & literally can’t carry himself) - no back up created, not much options left either (Imam will loose his spot by then), so …….

Babar back to lead in 2027 again.



Get Shaheen Captain, Saud or Abdullah deputy & make sure that Shaheen plays only those games essential, his deputy leads “ranking boosters”.

Next WC is with 14 teams - no matter who is captain, PAK won’t need to avoid playing games to ensure qualification ala 2017 CT - this is the time to take risk.

 

[Falconslions]

I’d love to see Sarfaraz back as captain for tests and ODIs. Really tough Aussies tour coming though we are bound to lose regardless whoever captains. But as long as the boys give their 100% effort and fight till the end. A fighter like Sarfaraz is what Pakistan needs as their captain. Should never have been stripped of captaincy in the first place, we would have performed much better under him this World Cup with a different selection of players.

Next ODI world cup is 4 years away, Sarfaraz will be 40 by then so it is ridiculous to make him captain.

 

[Sunzi]

He needs to go.

Focus on his cricket as he's lost sight of what's important as regards his career.

Shaheen is not captaincy material.

 

[Rana]

Shaheen is the kind of guy that will take his team off the field if a DRS decision goes against him

 

[topspin]

Shaheen is the kind of guy that will take his team off the field if a DRS decision goes against him

He needs to calm down and stop getting emotional. Needs to stop appealing for everything. I find it cringe.

 

[Extra_Cover]

I believe Sarfraz and Shan's name has been thrown in the mix just to add a bit of a drama in there. They are no real candidates for captaincy as their existence in team is currently not warranted.

Its likely we would see Rizwan being made captain across all 3 formats post the World Cup.

What I would like to see is that Rizwan taking the reigns of captaincy in test and ODIs whilst I would like to see someone like Abdullah Shafique or Mohammad Haris taking over captaincy for T20s. Ideally going forward I would not like to see Babar or Rizwan play T20s as they have important test tours coming up and should be in reckoning for that. If there is a T20 world cup that comes through and if we haven't got decent batters in the mix at that point in time then they can step in for important tournaments.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Shan Masood seems a decent option. Can't do worse than Imam with the bat and is a smart guy.

Sarfraz is good but his appointment can only be for 2 years max.

We need a long term captain.

 

[Cover Drive Six]

“Sarfaraz might win the nod to captain the Test and ODI sides again while Shaheen may get a chance to be the T20 captain,” the source added. Sarfaraz is currently not part of the World Cup squad.

Lobbying for the captaincy is a joke, lol.
Who will sponsor these lobbyists, and what benefits will they get if they lobby for a specific player?
This is not politics where you lobby for a seat, this is sports, and players should be awarded based on merit.

I want to know the guy who still want to lobby for the outdated Sarfaraz as a captain. 

 

[Sunzi]

Shaheen is the kind of guy that will take his team off the field if a DRS decision goes against him

Ah man. That last DRS review from round the wicket he asked for. The impact was outside the legstump - I've never seen that in my entire life before. Impact outside the leg stump; the ball has gone across a set of stumps, continuing down the leg (with Rizwan heading that way too) and then impact occurs. Outside leg!?!? Dumbfounded. Lucky if it hit leg-stump on a second set of stumps.

And Rizwan was vehemently insisting on the review. Weak captaincy.

 

[Falconslions]

Obvious choice is Rizwan regardless of polarising opinions of him.


There are no other logical and serious candidates.

Afridi is a fast bowler and will miss games. Moreover he is impulsive as we have seen with his DRS decision making.

Sarfaraz is way too old.

Shadab is not even a guaranteed starter.

Rest are relatively new or not certain starters.

Only ones who are certain to play and aren't very old are Afridi, Babar and Rizwan. So obvious choice is Rizwan who has batted well this world cup too.

 

[Falconslions]

Shan Masood seems a decent option. Can't do worse than Imam with the bat and is a smart guy.

Sarfraz is good but his appointment can only be for 2 years max.

We need a long term captain.

He averages 28 in Tests and 18 in ODIs

 

[Blackbradman]

Saud Shakeel seems to be level headed guy. Feel he is the right choice to captain Test and 50 over side.

 

[Blackbradman]

South Africa handed over captaincy to Smith when he was fairly new to International arena and he did wonders, same why Pakistan should consider making Saud Shakeel the captain.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Sacking Babar is the right call but it's probably being made for the wrong reasons. Just a convenient way to deflect the criticism the PCB should be getting for it's disastrous selection policies which led to selecting Nawaz and Mir as frontline spinners.

 

[Mamoon]

I’m all for sacking Babar and I understand that captains have to life and die by the results but before Babar is sacked, we have to understand why he should be sacked and what do we hope to achieve with a new captain.

People don’t want to hear this but the biggest problem is not his captaincy but the fact that the players are not good enough. As a cricket nation, Pakistan is hovering in the same league as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, West indies and Afghanistan and have been for a while notwithstanding the noise our fans make and all the fake hype.

The reality is that we are a deeply mediocre cricket nation and have been for a very long time. We run run our mouths, thump our chests and show eyes but the reality always rears its ugly head.

On true cricketing merit, not a single Pakistani player, including Babar, would even make the World XI B team in ODIs let alone A team. In such circumstances, do you really expect your captain to win you a World Cup?

Another issue with the fans and the media is they are reactionary. If Pakistan win it is good captaincy and if Pakistan loses it is bad captaincy but in the real world, good decisions can lead to bad results and bad decisions can lead to good results.

Everything is viewed in hindsight and every narrative is peddled based on the outcome and not the thought-process behind the decision-making.

For example, everyone is critical about Shadab’s selection in the playing XI. It is a case of “I told you so” because his form was absolute shambles leading into the World Cup and he has continued on that front.

Since Shadab failed the narrative now is that Babar picks his friends and there is no accountability if you are in his good books.

On the flip side, had Shadab performed in this World Cup, the same people would be calling it good leadership because good leaders and good captains back players in difficult times and give them confidence and it was this confidence and backing that allowed Shadab to shine in the World Cup.

We never look at the merits and the logic behind a decision and let the outcome dictate the success/failure of a decision.

The perception of Babar’s captaincy would have been different based on how Shadab performed even though it is not in Babar’s control. Ultimately, the ball has to come out of Shadab’s hand.

Had Shadab succeeded, no one would have had the courage to say that selecting him was the wrong decision even if he performed well because the thought-process behind selecting him, whether he failed or succeeded, was the same.

Pakistan needs to learn to focus on the merits and logic behind decisions and not necessary the results because it is not always in your control.

If you want to sack Babar, please do so based on the belief that he has to be accountable for the bad results regardless of the degree of his responsibility. That is the nature of this job.

However, if you sack Babar because you think someone else can conquer the world with this average bunch and there are players out there who can transform this team, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment and the captaincy musical chairs will continue.

 

[AAli98]

Thank god about time, find someone who can get the basics right this time.

 

[oatmeal]

I wonder how the critics and fans who want Babar to be sacked from the captaincy will react if Pakistan manages to reach the semifinals.
What about all these talks? Will they stick to their opinions or change?

Of course they will change. Whether people admit or not, the only thing that matters is wins.

When the team is performing well, it can paper over a lot of issues like ego clashes, poor process , favouritism in selection. When the team is not performing well, people try to invent issues and look for changes

 

[Sunzi]

I wonder how the critics and fans who want Babar to be sacked from the captaincy will react if Pakistan manages to reach the semifinals.
What about all these talks? Will they stick to their opinions or change?

He'd need to win it from here for me to even consider keeping him on. That too, with dazzling performances and proactive captaincy, showcasing influential decision-making along the way.

The dissent and lack of regard for his presence and position on the field during the Afghansitan match confirms to me that the team does not respect him as they're a) all too friendly with each other or b) he's lost the dressing room... c) both.

I think it's both.

 

[Visaal-E-Yaar]

Lol, sarfraz as captain again?
We are in deep unbreakable loop.

PPP
PML N
PPP
PML N

ZAKA ASHRAF
SETHI
ZAKA ASHRAF
SETHI
ZAKA ASHRAF
SETHI

SARFRAZ
BABAR
SARFRAZ NOW?
AGAIN BABAR?

 

[RehanG]

It doesn't make any sense to come up with this kind of news right now, there are still 4 matches left and Pak has all to play for. This will only create more and bigger problems in the group. i hope they stay away from social media

 

[zaidihusain]

I am getting shockwaves after seeing some names for captaincy specially Sarfraz. Stats of last 2-3 years of his ODI & T20 career are enough not to consider him even as a player. He was a big liability in ODI & T20s and hugely inconsistent in tests. He is at the best can be considered for tests but still not as captain. South Africa brought Graeme Smith after 2003 disaster, India brought MSD after 2007 humiliation and England trusted Morgan after 2015 debacle. However in Pakistan this bade bhai / seniority culture is considered as qualification criteria for captaincy. This seniority culture has always been catastrophic in Pakistan cricket.

 

[MenInG]

To bring back a failed captain, just because the one who replaced him didn't too well is a failure in itself!

 

[Rana]

I am getting shockwaves after seeing some names for captaincy specially Sarfraz. Stats of last 2-3 years of his ODI & T20 career are enough not to consider him even as a player. He was a big liability in ODI & T20s and hugely inconsistent in tests. He is at the best can be considered for tests but still not as captain. South Africa brought Graeme Smith after 2003 disaster, India brought MSD after 2007 humiliation and England trusted Morgan after 2015 debacle. However in Pakistan this bade bhai / seniority culture is considered as qualification criteria for captaincy. This seniority culture has always been catastrophic in Pakistan cricket.

Who’s fault is it that Sarfaraz didn’t play ODI or T20 for Pakistan in the last 2-3 years?

It was a closed group. Babar and Rizwan’s friends enclosure. VIP lounge, not Pakistan cricket

You can’t blame Sarfaraz or anyone for that matter for not being a part of it for 2-3 years.

 

[Mainul]

A bit stupid to bring Sarfraz back who cant bat at interantional level.

Pakistan has Rizwan who is performing in all three formats. So the keeper is not going anywhere, and we cant play both sarfraz and rizwan because sarfraz is a walking wicket. Instead, of Sarfraz a batter can be added to the team.

I dont know if Shaheen or Rizwan are good candidates for captaincy.

Shaheen has never captained a domestic List A game or First Class game. Making Shaheen captain is the same mistake they made when they made Babar the captain. This time around go with someone that has experience with captaining the team.

The candidates should be Rizwan, Iftikhar, Saud Shakeel

Saud Shakeel will play ODI and Test so if he has first class captaincy experience and is good than make him the captain.
Similarly, if Rizwan has done well as captain in domestic cricket than make him captain for all three formats or for limited overs atleast.

Shaheen has captained in t20 cricket, that means nothing. You need long format captaincy experience. Even Babar got Pakistan to a World T20 final and we know what a joke of a captain he has been.

Rizwan has played years of cricket with SNGPL and i think he might have experience, and so does maybe Saud Shakeel. Look at that experience, see whether he did well as a captain or not, and than take the decision.

Iftikhar Ahmad was also given captaincy of SNGPL and KPK, he has done very well and I think KPK won under his captaincy. So he should not be ignored aswell. He is a better lower order hitter compared to all other guys and should get a world T20 aswell

Bringing back sarfraz just to wag the tails of karachi media is the dumbest move ever. Sarfraz cant bat in international cricket, at most he will play 1 more year of cricket and than he will again be exposed and we will be changing captains and be back to square one.

I prefer iftikhar as captain.

Bringing back Sarfraz will add further disaster.

I m still not convinced about Saud the ODI batter.He is still to cement his place .

So, Babar had power to choose the team and it was a very poor call not to add Abrar. Inclusion of 2 trash legspinners and not including Imad is one of the main cause of Pakistani downfall . Their bowling looks toothless. I will blame the bowling more than their batting.

Babar should be replaced as captain.

 

[Ahmed216]

I'll accept anyone as captain if he can drop Imam. Even Shan

 

[Major]

I prefer iftikhar as captain.

Bringing back Sarfraz will add further disaster.

I m still not convinced about Saud the ODI batter.He is still to cement his place .

So, Babar had power to choose the team and it was a very poor call not to add Abrar. Inclusion of 2 trash legspinners and not including Imad is one of the main cause of Pakistani downfall . Their bowling looks toothless. I will blame the bowling more than their batting.

Babar should be replaced as captain.

Iftikhar as captain also played in canada premier league. Was he captain in the BPL aswell because he was much loved there

 

[Kianig89]

One can only have sympathy with the incoming captain as the tour down under means he will also get the chop once the tour is finished,

 

[PakPremi]

I used to be a big fan of Sarfraz but we need to move on, he showed in his last test series he is well and truly finished. For Test and ODIs Saud as Major suggested could be a good captain. For T20s it should be Rizwan, Shaheen or even Iftikhar.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Well he should be sacked, yeah.

I wonder what good it does to team morale to announce it in middle of the tournament.

If there was even a 0.01 percent chance of reversal of fortunes, it has evaporated with this untimely report.

 

[volcyz]

Pakistan team is the greenest and environmentally friendliest team in the world based on how in love they are with recycling has beens into the side automatically making them captains etc, next time it's time to bring back Shoaib Malik for 100th time for his experience and leadership in T20's etc etc

 

[Kianig89]

Untimely reports are leaked to save the skin of administrators a weapon used by PCB officials mid 90s era

 

[emranabbas]

guys this is just "reports" PCB has not announced anything in the middle of a tournament yet so calm down
if you want to bash anyone bash the media for leaking reports in middle of a tournament

 

[owenhcricket]

Sarfraz as captain would be a joke. He supposedly only plays tests but really rizwan should be in his place.

I'm not sure if anyone is captaincy material here, and the key part is getting the tactics right. Could Rizwan be that guy?

 

[topspin]

Iftikhar as captain also played in canada premier league. Was he captain in the BPL aswell because he was much loved there

Iftikhar might be a good captain and I would like to think he’s better than Babar but bro you can’t use the Canada Premier League as an argument for his captaincy credentials.

 

[Major]

Iftikhar might be a good captain and I would like to think he’s better than Babar but bro you can’t use the Canada Premier League as an argument for his captaincy credentials.

go above and read my few posts where i wrote why Ifti can be considered. You decided to ignore my other posts that i mentioned why ifti

 

[Rana]

Iftikhar might be a good captain and I would like to think he’s better than Babar but bro you can’t use the Canada Premier League as an argument for his captaincy credentials.

Lol Canada premier league

 

[topspin]

go above and read my few posts where i wrote why Ifti can be considered. You decided to ignore my other posts that i mentioned why ifti

I did. I always follow the thread from start to finish but advocating for a certain player to be captain because he led a side in the Canada Premier League as one of the reasons is a joke. No one is going to take you seriously with these kind of arguments. It's like saying Babar is a top ODI batsman because he's ranked no.1 in the rankings and also because he recently scored 150+ against Nepal.

 

[I think therfore I am]

I’m all for sacking Babar and I understand that captains have to life and die by the results but before Babar is sacked, we have to understand why he should be sacked and what do we hope to achieve with a new captain.

People don’t want to hear this but the biggest problem is not his captaincy but the fact that the players are not good enough. As a cricket nation, Pakistan is hovering in the same league as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, West indies and Afghanistan and have been for a while notwithstanding the noise our fans make and all the fake hype.

The reality is that we are a deeply mediocre cricket nation and have been for a very long time. We run run our mouths, thump our chests and show eyes but the reality always rears its ugly head.

On true cricketing merit, not a single Pakistani player, including Babar, would even make the World XI B team in ODIs let alone A team. In such circumstances, do you really expect your captain to win you a World Cup?

Another issue with the fans and the media is they are reactionary. If Pakistan win it is good captaincy and if Pakistan loses it is bad captaincy but in the real world, good decisions can lead to bad results and bad decisions can lead to good results.

Everything is viewed in hindsight and every narrative is peddled based on the outcome and not the thought-process behind the decision-making.

For example, everyone is critical about Shadab’s selection in the playing XI. It is a case of “I told you so” because his form was absolute shambles leading into the World Cup and he has continued on that front.

Since Shadab failed the narrative now is that Babar picks his friends and there is no accountability if you are in his good books.

On the flip side, had Shadab performed in this World Cup, the same people would be calling it good leadership because good leaders and good captains back players in difficult times and give them confidence and it was this confidence and backing that allowed Shadab to shine in the World Cup.

We never look at the merits and the logic behind a decision and let the outcome dictate the success/failure of a decision.

The perception of Babar’s captaincy would have been different based on how Shadab performed even though it is not in Babar’s control. Ultimately, the ball has to come out of Shadab’s hand.

Had Shadab succeeded, no one would have had the courage to say that selecting him was the wrong decision even if he performed well because the thought-process behind selecting him, whether he failed or succeeded, was the same.

Pakistan needs to learn to focus on the merits and logic behind decisions and not necessary the results because it is not always in your control.

If you want to sack Babar, please do so based on the belief that he has to be accountable for the bad results regardless of the degree of his responsibility. That is the nature of this job.

However, if you sack Babar because you think someone else can conquer the world with this average bunch and there are players out there who can transform this team, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment and the captaincy musical chairs will continue.

No one expects the conquest of the world in a cricketing sense. However Pakistan need the right team selection balance. To work on improving consistently and getting the basics right.

oh yeah it would helpmif the PCB stopped playing musical chairs every 6 months.

Personally the real rot is the country as a whole. The politics and the government are a mirror image of the PCB. How the country has survived this long, is miracle.

 

[zaidihusain]

Who’s fault is it that Sarfaraz didn’t play ODI or T20 for Pakistan in the last 2-3 years?

It was a closed group. Babar and Rizwan’s friends enclosure. VIP lounge, not Pakistan cricket

You can’t blame Sarfaraz or anyone for that matter for not being a part of it for 2-3 years.

Sarfraz was rightly dropped from the team as his Captaincy, batting, Keeping all deteriorated. He took his position for granted after CT2017. His behaviour as a captain was aweful, he became rude & arrogant. I remember in one match while fielding he said "Babar kya kar Raha hai beta". Calling your professional colleagues as beta is clearly bullying and that's why I hate this seniority culture.

I have aways been with you whenever you said that Babar & Rizwan should not open in T20s and I also don't like Rizwan's on field antics & dramas and the special treatment he is getting in last 3-4 years but I would be lying if I don't accept that Rizwan with all his limitations is a major upgrade from Sarfraz. I also don't want Rizwan to become captain

 

[Major]

I did. I always follow the thread from start to finish but advocating for a certain player to be captain because he led a side in the Canada Premier League as one of the reasons is a joke. No one is going to take you seriously with these kind of arguments. It's like saying Babar is a top ODI batsman because he's ranked no.1 in the rankings and also because he recently scored 150+ against Nepal.

no you did not. Go above and read the post where i said iffti has captained KPK and if he did wel he should be considered.

I qoute the bangladeshi poster cause ifti has played in BPL and is loved by Bangladeshi fans.

 

[cricenjoyer]

From the names being listed Rizwan and Shaheen are the two logical options with both proven to be successful in recent PSL's which in the case of Pakistan cricket is probably the best barometer to judge an individuals leadership abilities

Both for me are equally good options however I'd chose Rizwan over Shaheen just due to the fact that Rizwan as more captaincy experience under his belt as well as Shaheen being a bowler and therefore wouldn't make sense making him captain and forcing him to play 80-90% of all matches

 

[topspin]

Lol Canada premier league

We know he'll say anything to show his support for a of Misbah but to bring up the Canada Premier League as an argument for someone's captaincy credentials at national level is quite frankly an insult to Pakistan cricket. The fact that he doesn't see this is mind boggling.