[REPORTS] Sarfaraz Ahmed's days as Pakistan's Test captain over

[MenInG]

After seeing Pakistan's World Cup performance, Sarfaraz Ahmed & Co. received massive backlash back home.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are expected to make changes to their side after the country's Prime Minister and an ex-captain Imran Khan vowed to fix the issues in Pakistan cricket. Taking a step in the direction, PCB are likely to axe Sarfaraz as the Test captain.

According to a report, the PCB has decided to relieve Sarfaraz of Test captaincy duties and are looking to give a fresh candidate a chance ahead of the Test Championship.

The PCB will discuss the matter on August 2nd in a meeting after Pakistan - who are currently looking to rebuild their Test side - are keen on handing over the reins to a new captain.

Being a skipper, Sarfaraz managed just four wins in 13 games in Test matches. After returning from England, when asked about his future as the captain of Pakistan, the 32-yeard-old said, “It’s not that I’m saying I refuse to resign. All I’m saying is the decision rests with the PCB, the same way as the decision to appoint me captain was taken by them. I’m sure they’ll take the decision that’s best for Pakistan”.

Masood has played only 15 Tests and has notched up 793 runs at an average of 26.43 which includes a century and five fifties. The 29-year-old has also scalped two wickets in the longer format of the game.

Pakistan's success in Tests under Sarfaraz has not been so great and the team's last Test series win came against Australia in a one-off Test in the UAE. After the win, Pakistan lost two back-to-back Test series against New Zealand (2-1) and South Africa (3-0).

https://www.dnaindia.com/cricket/re...-pakistan-s-test-captain-over-reports-2776877

 

[big_gamer007]

As I mentioned in other thread.

What has Masood done? Wasn't he recalled in England and had a decent outing but other than that he has been mediocre? Average of 26 after 15 tests is pretty poor. What is worse is giving him captaincy after just 1 good series.

What is Masood starts being mediocre again? Surely you won't drop your captain after just one or 2 series, so he will continue being a free loader for 2 years.

Good luck to PCT, for sale of cricket I hope they make right decision.

 

[Savak]

Sarfaraz has not deserved it. Just look at how he has let himself and his fitness go and did nothing to build on the success of the 2017 CT.

 

[Rellu_Katta]

sarfraz took it for granted ... he was abysmal in test cricket .. he thght him winning the CT and few T20z was going to keep him afloat but wat he forgot was tht success has many friends but failures has million enemies ... he ABS DOES NOT deserve to be the captain of the test side ... but then who? only person confirmed a test spot at the min is babar azam but i dont see a captain in him just yet ... so shan massod might be the best out of the worst ( i would personally prefer Harris sohail )

 

[Hawkeye]

Sarfraz is bad, but Shan Masood is worse.

You'll have to play was walking wicket as an opener in every match, there's no place to hide! He'll just be a specialist captain with no performances.

Seems like we have no great replacement.

 

[Slim]

Sarfraz, Masood and Shafique are all horrible choices for captaincy. The worst of them all is Shan Masood who has achieved NOTHING for Pakistan. Even his selection is questionable.

Haris Sohail should be first choice, and after that Babar.

 

[Ram Shekhar]

Shan Masood was Pakistan's best batsman in South African tour. He is an educated guy who understands the nuances of the test format. I think this may turn out to be a masterstroke.

 

[Ram Shekhar]

Sarfraz, Masood and Shafique are all horrible choices for captaincy. The worst of them all is Shan Masood who has achieved NOTHING for Pakistan. Even his selection is questionable.

Haris Sohail should be first choice, and after that Babar.

Did you forget his runs in South Africa? He was the most assured batsman out there. Similarly, Shan also played a huge role in chasing down world record score against Sri Lanka on the 5th day. He is a great choice for a test captain.

 

[warcry]

Shan is OK. batted well in south africa. should do well in australia.
making him captain could be an inspired decision.
rather have him as captain, than say, babar azam, who's to important to be burdened by captaincy.

 

[barah_admi]

We had Sarfraz as captain who barely deserved selection and now they want Masood as captain who definitely does not deserve selection? What is going on here? Have the lunatics taken over the PCB asylum?

 

[Usman Chadda]

Shan is OK. batted well in south africa. should do well in australia.
making him captain could be an inspired decision.
rather have him as captain, than say, babar azam, who's to important to be burdened by captaincy.

How many centuries did Shan score in South Africa? How many match-winning knocks?

This will be a disaster of epic proportions.

 

[Slim]

Did you forget his runs in South Africa? He was the most assured batsman out there. Similarly, Shan also played a huge role in chasing down world record score against Sri Lanka on the 5th day. He is a great choice for a test captain.

**, his sample is too small to give him the captaincy of the most premium format. Before SA series, he was struggling to make runs even in Asia. I dont personally see him as a top batsman. Why not Haris? Who is a top batsman and has proven himself?

 

[proud_pakistani]

Dont know what to really think of this. He has never impressed much as a batsman. He might have good work ethic, be eloquent but no one will respect him in the team if he himself is not able to lead from the front. It was a gamble but maybe Mohammad Abbas was worth a go at Test captaincy. Smart bowler, its been a while since we had a good tactical captain.

 

[topspin]

Shan's performances in South Africa prove he's a far better player than what he used to be, when he had all those technical deficiencies.

Shan Masood (mk II) has an excellent back-foot game and will be an asset with the bat in all the away tours outside the SC, as he's one of the few batsmen in the country who is competent both front and back foot.

I don't see him being troubled on dead UAE wickets either. The ton scored he in SL (during that partnership with YK) was terrific knock on a 4th innings rank turning pitch.

He carries himself well, leads by example with fitness and having read his interviews, it's clear he analyses the game very well. If he's not captaincy material then I don't know what is.

If Misbah can be made captain with all the limitations he had with the bat and without being a regular in the side, then it would be a travesty to impose this double standard when Shan Masood is at his very peak, courtesy of his sound technique.

Rather than merely complaining about this proposition, I want to know from all these armchair critics who are the better options available?

 

[Usman Chadda]

Shan's performances in South Africa prove he's a far better player than what he used to be, when he had all those technical deficiencies.

Shan Masood (mk II) has an excellent back-foot game and will be an asset with the bat in all the away tours outside the SC, as he's one of the few batsmen in the country who is competent both front and back foot.

I don't see him being troubled on dead UAE wickets either. The ton scored he in SL (during that partnership with YK) was terrific knock on a 4th innings rank turning pitch.

He carries himself well, leads by example with fitness and having read his interviews, it's clear he analyses the game very well. If he's not captaincy material then I don't know what is.

If Misbah can be made captain with all the limitations he had with the bat and without being a regular in the side, then it would be a travesty to impose this double standard when Shan Masood is at his very peak, courtesy of his sound technique.

Rather than merely complaining about this proposition, I want to know from all these armchair critics who are the better options available?

Shan Masood is not a permenant fixture in the team. He got into the team as a last minute replacement for Haris in South Africa. He played alright, but nothing exceptional. Babar was head and shoulders above every Pakistani batsman in that series.

The obvious choice is Babar.

 

[Madplayer]

I dont know how good Shan will be as a captain but how can you make someone a captain when he isnt a permanent fixure in the side?

Do u wanna make the same mistake as Azhar ali when he was made ODI captain?

 

[warcry]

How many centuries did Shan score in South Africa? How many match-winning knocks?

This will be a disaster of epic proportions.

his performances would have been match winning if he had support.


for example
1st test centurion.
pak 100/1 lead of 60 at lunch in their second innings.
shan masood and imam ul haq batting well.

then after lunch, imam chops on the stumps
our "seniors" do f all and collapse occurs. (sarfraz with a pair)
masood last recognized batsman out trying to hit out as he is the last recognized batsman left.


people at ppassion have limited memory, so remembering what happened on our tour to south africa can be an issue for them.

 

[PakPremi]

I agree with Shan Masood choice as Test Captain. He has already played some dogged innings for Pak and has shown tremendous improvement which bodes well for future. He was also motivating players in the SA series in the field and also lead by example with his own fielding. He Carrie's himself well in media as well and is non controversial personality, and always speaks well for the team.

 

[PakPremi]

Babar is young and has just about learnt to take responsibility in batting, at this stage we should not add further pressure on him till he is fully matured and can cope with additional demand of captaincy.
Haris does not seem a confident or even a conscious personality to me, I still cannot believe the NZ tour ghost story. He would not be able to control and inspire his team well, just like Malik.Beside he is injury prone so will be missing some if not many matches.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Making Shan captain is the right choice.

Babar is not captaincy material at all. Let him just bat.

 

[Azzurri]

I don’t understand how’s Babar not a captaincy material? He led Pakistan in 2 U19 WC’s. He might turn out to be another Kane Williamson. Please stop with this weird generalizations

 

[Junaids]

Sarfaraz has not deserved it. Just look at how he has let himself and his fitness go and did nothing to build on the success of the 2017 CT.

This is the key issue.

The World Test Championship starts immediately. Pakistan cannot carry any passengers or players in decline: they need to immediately discard the has-beens (Sarfraz, Azhar Ali, Yasir Shah outside Asia) and be ready to compete.

Of the batsmen, only Babar Azam is a certain starter.

Of the bowlers, none whatsoever are automatic selections both in and outside Asia.

So either you pick Babar Azam as skipper, or you recognise that Sarfraz and Inzamam have proved a decade apart that a semi-educated man who doesn't speak English and can't understand the wider world cannot captain Pakistan or anyone else.

A Test captain is actually an Ambassador for his nation on the international stage. You can't have a man like Sarfraz who acts as a racist even in South Africa of all places when he is the national captain.
Pakistan has three selection priorities to be ready for the World Test Championship in 8 weeks' time:

1. They need to get rid of Azhar Ali as his Test and County form proves that he has gone way past his best.

2. They need to use Yasir Shah only on favourable Asian wickets, and make sure that outside Asia he is replaced by Shadab Khan.

3. They need to discard Sarfraz Ahmed so that they can include Mohammad Rizwan in the Top Six of the batting, and in doing so allow Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf to bat at 7 and 8 outside Asia, and arguably Zafar Gohar and Bilal Asif in Asia.

 

[Junaids]

I don’t understand how’s Babar not a captaincy material? He led Pakistan in 2 U19 WC’s. He might turn out to be another Kane Williamson. Please stop with this weird generalizations

I love Babar - and I want Umar Akmal back - but I accept that a national team skipper needs to speak perfect English and, to be honest, needs to straddle eastern and western culture like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Rameez Raja.

 

[Ram Shekhar]

**, his sample is too small to give him the captaincy of the most premium format. Before SA series, he was struggling to make runs even in Asia. I dont personally see him as a top batsman. Why not Haris? Who is a top batsman and has proven himself?

Haris has not scored any tough runs and has not proved anything in test cricket. I see him as a limited overs batsman. Shan is much better in test matches and the guy is educated and intelligent. Test cricket captaincy requires a lot more of those over just skills.

 

[Majid Khan]

Shan Masood looked like a much improved batsman on the SA tour, and seems well educated and all that is good and well - but the fact is he has NOT as yet established himself as a batsman. This is just going to put him under undue pressure and unfair on him also.

This has been the biggest problem with Pakistan over the years where captains are appointed who then get selected because they are captain, even when they fail repeatedly and without captaincy would not be good enough to be in the team.

 

[szundercover]

I would take shan masood as test captain instead of shafiq and azhar ali in any day of the week.

 

[Adnanaddi]

Shan as captain over Asad and Azhar any day of the week and twice on Sunday

 

[Markhor]

The argument that you cannot appoint Babar Azam as captain as his form would suffer with the extra responsibility can be applied to anyone.

The point is we'll only know once he's given the role. Kane Williamson has shown you don't need to be a brash personality to be a successful captain.

 

[topspin]

Shan Masood is not a permenant fixture in the team. He got into the team as a last minute replacement for Haris in South Africa. He played alright, but nothing exceptional. Babar was head and shoulders above every Pakistani batsman in that series.

The obvious choice is Babar.

I have issues with Babar and how he may carry himself off the field. For e.g. the way he responded to Zainab on Twitter shows to me he does not know how to handle the limelight and has questionable social awareness. The reason why I am highlighting this is because of Sarfraz's behaviour earlier this year in SA - with his racist remarks towards Andile and I also recall you brushed it aside as if it was a trivial concern. This perhaps explains why our views differ on this matter, but I do not want a captain who behaves like Sarfraz who subsequently somehow plays the victim card.

The outlook for Babar as a leader can change, which is why I have no issues with him being the vice-captain for now. I would like to see him be closely involved on the field with Shan Masood, so he can learn the art of leading the side.

Shan Masood is Pakistan's best test opener as evident by his technique and composure. He is much better than the likes of Imam and Azhar Ali in this regard. He will be a regular for at least another 3-4 years to come.

 

[topspin]

his performances would have been match winning if he had support.


for example
1st test centurion.
pak 100/1 lead of 60 at lunch in their second innings.
shan masood and imam ul haq batting well.

then after lunch, imam chops on the stumps
our "seniors" do f all and collapse occurs. (sarfraz with a pair)
masood last recognized batsman out trying to hit out as he is the last recognized batsman left.


people at ppassion have limited memory, so remembering what happened on our tour to south africa can be an issue for them.

Spot on! Everyone forgets he was the best batsman during the SA tour - the most difficult place to bat for an Asian side, when you consider the bowling friendly nature of the wickets and SA's class pace bowling attack.

View attachment 93871

 

[Amjid Javed]

Sarfaraz as a player needs to be dropped, not just captaincy removal. Asad and Azhar need to get the boot as well. time to move forward.

 

[the Great Khan]

Masala news..I will wait till the official announcement..there is no magic wand and ready made replacement..welcome to another four years of turmoil.

 

[Rana]

If cricket was an Urdu game, Babar would be my number 1 choice.

The guy makes a lot of sense when he talks. Very intelligent bloke

 

[Titan24]

If cricket was an Urdu game, Babar would be my number 1 choice.

The guy makes a lot of sense when he talks. Very intelligent bloke

If he knows his cricket I dont think lack of control over a language should be restrict him to become captain. Not to forget how poor was Sarfaraz with his English when he was given captaincy. I think Babar is gonna become captain ultimately, its just the matter of time. PCB might make him the VC and give him couple of years to improve himself as a batsman and as a potential leader.

Hopefully in domestics and PSL we will see young captains and potential leaders like Babar, Imam, Shan etc being given responsibility.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

So now we are handing captaincy after one 'decent' series just because the guy can speak English and born in a family to afford higher education from a foreign country. Salaam to this great logic!

If not Sarfaraz, Babar or Haris should be in contention as these 2 are permannet members of our test team atleast for few years now. Simple as that.

 

[Energy]

Fully backing Shan. This is a good move.

 

[coy0607]

So now we are handing captaincy after one 'decent' series just because the guy can speak English and born in a family to afford higher education from a foreign country. Salaam to this great logic!

If not Sarfaraz, Babar or Haris should be in contention as these 2 are permannet members of our test team atleast for few years now. Simple as that.

Not new to Pakistan cricket. This is the exact same reason Butt was made captain, to a lesser extent Azhar Ali as well. Isn't this why Imad is considered for captaincy - because of his education and english ? And its never worked!

 

[StreetSmart]

Right decision to Make Shaan Masood as a captain

 

[ayemgilani86]

I am all for Shan Masood as captain, atleast he is professional with his fitness and yes he was ******** when he first came in but the series against Saffa was enough to show how much he has improved, already better than Asad Shafiq and atleast bats in top 3 in tests compared to Babar

 

[Boi]

How many centuries did Shan score in South Africa? How many match-winning knocks?

This will be a disaster of epic proportions.

How many centuries and match winning knocks did anyone else in the team play?

 

[ayemgilani86]

How many centuries and match winning knocks did anyone else in the team play?

And how many match winning innings has Asad Shafiq played?he is known to only do well in the last test of a series and when the pressure is off he will get a 40 odd thats been his story for 60 tests

 

[muqarrab]

After seeing Pakistan's World Cup performance, Sarfaraz Ahmed & Co. received massive backlash back home.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are expected to make changes to their side after the country's Prime Minister and an ex-captain Imran Khan vowed to fix the issues in Pakistan cricket. Taking a step in the direction, PCB are likely to axe Sarfaraz as the Test captain.

According to a report, the PCB has decided to relieve Sarfaraz of Test captaincy duties and are looking to give a fresh candidate a chance ahead of the Test Championship.

The PCB will discuss the matter on August 2nd in a meeting after Pakistan - who are currently looking to rebuild their Test side - are keen on handing over the reins to a new captain.

Being a skipper, Sarfaraz managed just four wins in 13 games in Test matches. After returning from England, when asked about his future as the captain of Pakistan, the 32-yeard-old said, “It’s not that I’m saying I refuse to resign. All I’m saying is the decision rests with the PCB, the same way as the decision to appoint me captain was taken by them. I’m sure they’ll take the decision that’s best for Pakistan”.

Masood has played only 15 Tests and has notched up 793 runs at an average of 26.43 which includes a century and five fifties. The 29-year-old has also scalped two wickets in the longer format of the game.

Pakistan's success in Tests under Sarfaraz has not been so great and the team's last Test series win came against Australia in a one-off Test in the UAE. After the win, Pakistan lost two back-to-back Test series against New Zealand (2-1) and South Africa (3-0).

https://www.dnaindia.com/cricket/re...-pakistan-s-test-captain-over-reports-2776877

With should have a quite tier, pakistani press, importantly urdu press, has not reported anything like this. This is coming from an indian source.

 

[The Viper]

Shan did well in SA, but we don’t know how the new and improved Shan plays in UAE. He should be given at least a few more series to cement his spot.

The options look bleak.

 

[Usman Chadda]

I have issues with Babar and how he may carry himself off the field. For e.g. the way he responded to Zainab on Twitter shows to me he does not know how to handle the limelight and has questionable social awareness. The reason why I am highlighting this is because of Sarfraz's behaviour earlier this year in SA - with his racist remarks towards Andile and I also recall you brushed it aside as if it was a trivial concern. This perhaps explains why our views differ on this matter, but I do not want a captain who behaves like Sarfraz who subsequently somehow plays the victim card.

The outlook for Babar as a leader can change, which is why I have no issues with him being the vice-captain for now. I would like to see him be closely involved on the field with Shan Masood, so he can learn the art of leading the side.

Shan Masood is Pakistan's best test opener as evident by his technique and composure. He is much better than the likes of Imam and Azhar Ali in this regard. He will be a regular for at least another 3-4 years to come.

You cannot seriously believe Shan Masood is better than Azhar Ali? Based on one series, where he had modest returns at best?

 

[Majid Khan]

I was just checking stats again as assumed I might be underrating Shan Masood but the guy still averages 26 in test cricket, and no that’s not his bowling average.

As for the SA tour, he did look improved, agreed, but we keep mentioning his performances on that tour as if he matched Zaheer Abbas’s prolific run scoring, piling up 100s.

Shan Masood if I’m not mistaken, he scored two 50s in the test series - good innings but not quite a world beater yet, keep feet on the ground and focus on establishing yourself as a batsman.

If I remember rightly, Sami Aslam impressed v England a couple of years ago and scored two 50s in the same test.

No one was in a hurry to make him captain, or even keep him in the team - dropped at the first available opportunity after that tour.

 

[Usman Chadda]

I was just checking stats again as assumed I might be underrating Shan Masood but the guy still averages 26 in test cricket, and no that’s not his bowling average.

As for the SA tour, he did look improved, agreed, but we keep mentioning his performances on that tour as if he matched Zaheer Abbas’s prolific run scoring, piling up 100s.

Shan Masood if I’m not mistaken, he scored two 50s in the test series - good innings but not quite a world beater yet, keep feet on the ground and focus on establishing yourself as a batsman.

If I remember rightly, Sami Aslam impressed v England a couple of years ago and scored two 50s in the same test.

No one was in a hurry to make him captain, or even keep him in the team - dropped at the first available opportunity after that tour.

Shan Masood is being touted as the next captain on the basis of his communication skills, and the hope that he turns out to be an inspired choice like Misbah.

This will be a disaster. The guy was played as a replacement for Haris Sohail

 

[topspin]

You cannot seriously believe Shan Masood is better than Azhar Ali? Based on one series, where he had modest returns at best?

"modest returns" lol

He was the best batsman in the series - if you don't believe me, refer to the attachment in post 31.

Shan Masood's technique on the front and back foot is better than Azhar's ever was, but anyway I'm not talking about what they have achieved to date. I'm looking at the present options and Azhar Ali is simply way beyond his sell-by-date, as evident by his struggles in county cricket this season.

He's finished and it would be beyond absurd if you would even think about picking him over Shan Masood from here on in.

 

[Usman]

If this is true, it is an utter joke. The reason for his selection as captain would be nothing more than his ability to speak English. What is it about Pakistanis that the ability to speak English is seen as a trait which deserves national captaincy? It happened with Salman Butt and look how that turned out.

Inshallah these reports are fake news.

 

[topspin]

Shan did well in SA, but we don’t know how the new and improved Shan plays in UAE. He should be given at least a few more series to cement his spot.

The options look bleak.

Watch after 10 minutes for a glimpse of Shan Masood's potential on UAE wickets. This was on a 4th day pitch that deteriorated into a sharp rank turner.

I would be very surprised if he struggles on the deadest wickets of the planet.

 

[Syed1]

Commando could be a good option for the test side... his supreme fitness and work ethic might inspire some of the other social media superstars to actually work hard and give respect to the chand sitara

 

[Junaids]

You cannot seriously believe Shan Masood is better than Azhar Ali? Based on one series, where he had modest returns at best?

One series?

Azhar Ali is completely finished based on four series (Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) since Misbah and Younis retired.

You can’t keep selecting a “leader” of the batting who has failed in 13 Tests since he became the “leader”.

 

[Mamoon]

Personally I would bite the bullet and give Babar the captaincy in all formats. It will eventually happen one day and PCB knows it too.

However, since everyone except Sarfraz's irrational fans agree that he has to go, we could do a lot worse than Shan as his replacement. The likes of Azhar and Shafiq should be phased out as well, and thankfully the "make Amir captain" drama has been laid to rest by no else but Amir himself.

Imam has shot himself in the foot with his latest episode, and Haris' fitness problems means there will always be a question mark on his availability. Yasir's career is fading and he is rubbish outside Asia, and none of the fast bowlers have the slightest chance. Who else if not Masood?

He is not a better choice than Babar, but there are a few upsides to his appointment - his work ethic is tremendous and he is probably the fittest player in the national team, his game has improved considerably and he is a very good ambassador for the team. He is educated and knows how to carry himself and communicate with the press.

In terms of soft skills, he is in a league of his own among contemporary Pakistani cricketers. Pakistan's cricket image will improve considerably if he has a successful stint as captain. Watching Sarfraz carry himself and talk (in any language) was just embarrassing.

Giving examples of Butt is pointless anyway. Yes he was educated and still got involved in match-fixing, but Amir and Asif were villagers. That doesn't mean that every educated captain or villager would be prone to match-fixing. It comes down to individual personality, and Masood seems like the last person in the team who would do such a thing.

 

[NauV]

Personally I would bite the bullet and give Babar the captaincy in all formats. It will eventually happen one day and PCB knows it too.

However, since everyone except Sarfraz's irrational fans agree that he has to go, we could do a lot worse than Shan as his replacement. The likes of Azhar and Shafiq should be phased out as well, and thankfully the "make Amir captain" drama has been laid to rest by no else but Amir himself.

Imam has shot himself in the foot with his latest episode, and Haris' fitness problems means there will always be a question mark on his availability. Yasir's career is fading and he is rubbish outside Asia, and none of the fast bowlers have the slightest chance. Who else if not Masood?

He is not a better choice than Babar, but there are a few upsides to his appointment - his work ethic is tremendous and he is probably the fittest player in the national team, his game has improved considerably and he is a very good ambassador for the team. He is educated and knows how to carry himself and communicate with the press.

In terms of soft skills, he is in a league of his own among contemporary Pakistani cricketers. Pakistan's cricket image will improve considerably if he has a successful stint as captain. Watching Sarfraz carry himself and talk (in any language) was just embarrassing.

Giving examples of Butt is pointless anyway. Yes he was educated and still got involved in match-fixing, but Amir and Asif were villagers. That doesn't mean that every educated captain or villager would be prone to match-fixing. It comes down to individual personality, and Masood seems like the last person in the team who would do such a thing.

It would be a gamble regardless of who the PCB decides to hand over test captaincy too . . however, in my opinion, we have a lot to lose and on the surface little to gain from Babar as captain . . It may or may not have an impact on his batting (esp if results start going awry) . . and his batting goes downhill, that causes a massive problem in the team . . and as a captain, I have seen nothing in his demeanor, press conferences, ability to read games/talk about games, ability to talk about his peers, strategy, etc. that tells me he will be a good captain . . he may be . . but on the surface, it looks like he will be a steady appointment . . a Misbah at best . .

With Shan (if the rumors are in fact correct), I see a few upsides . . downsides first: THe guy has literally only performed . . better yet, looked like an international cricketer in a grand total of 1 series . . is that enough to warrant test captaincy? We can debate that . .

However, he is one of very very few players in our domestic circuit and recent history who have been kicked out of the team, have gone back and actually worked extremely hard on his game and fitness to come back in the team . . he has played the most domestic games across all formats in Pakistan in the last 2 3 years if I am not mistaken . . his averages are up there . . so he has definitely put in the effort . . now coming to soft skills as you said and captaincy skills . . I know a few people who have played under his captaincy at UBL and NBP . . and i haven't heard anythign negative . . they say he instills professionalism since he is very professional himself . . he inspires people to work harder since he himself works extremely hard . . and tactially he isn't the worst . . we know his communication skills are good . . so perhaps he can also act as a good bridge between coaching staff and the players . . so I think 2 things will determine his stint should he get it . .

1. his ability to soak up pressure and his performances . .
2. buy in from the team . . in our culture, unfortunately, outsiders, people like Shan Masood aren't very amenable to the system . groupings, etc. emergy . . is he a strong personality? will he able to to get the team behind him? time will tell . .

Overall, I think there's a lot more to gain than to lose if Shan Masood does get the captaincy

 

[srh]

As I mentioned in other thread.

What has Masood done? Wasn't he recalled in England and had a decent outing but other than that he has been mediocre? Average of 26 after 15 tests is pretty poor. What is worse is giving him captaincy after just 1 good series.

What is Masood starts being mediocre again? Surely you won't drop your captain after just one or 2 series, so he will continue being a free loader for 2 years.

Good luck to PCT, for sale of cricket I hope they make right decision.

anyone will be better than Sarfraz; Masood fits the criteria of young batsman with patience; Babar Azam is another option but PCB probably does not want to burden him with extra responsibility

 

[seamer04]

Shan Masood was Pakistan's best batsman in South African tour. He is an educated guy who understands the nuances of the test format. I think this may turn out to be a masterstroke.

masterstroke, please just kill me.

 

[seamer04]

Did you forget his runs in South Africa? He was the most assured batsman out there. Similarly, Shan also played a huge role in chasing down world record score against Sri Lanka on the 5th day. He is a great choice for a test captain.

So far, he is not even a great choice for an opener.

 

[srh]

Haris Sohail is not captaincy material at all; the guys here naming him as a captain must be joking

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Will the PCB do another Misbah?

Misbah was also dropped at that time and people said he wasn't good enough for ODI's and Tests outside Asia. Suddenly the PCB appointed Misbah as Pak captain out of nowhere.

Shan Masood would be an alike appointment, the most unlikely option. Just like Misbah he has had captaincy experience and is well respected in Pak domestic.

 

[Mueez]

Personally I would bite the bullet and give Babar the captaincy in all formats. It will eventually happen one day and PCB knows it too.

However, since everyone except Sarfraz's irrational fans agree that he has to go, we could do a lot worse than Shan as his replacement. The likes of Azhar and Shafiq should be phased out as well, and thankfully the "make Amir captain" drama has been laid to rest by no else but Amir himself.

Imam has shot himself in the foot with his latest episode, and Haris' fitness problems means there will always be a question mark on his availability. Yasir's career is fading and he is rubbish outside Asia, and none of the fast bowlers have the slightest chance. Who else if not Masood?

He is not a better choice than Babar, but there are a few upsides to his appointment - his work ethic is tremendous and he is probably the fittest player in the national team, his game has improved considerably and he is a very good ambassador for the team. He is educated and knows how to carry himself and communicate with the press.

In terms of soft skills, he is in a league of his own among contemporary Pakistani cricketers. Pakistan's cricket image will improve considerably if he has a successful stint as captain. Watching Sarfraz carry himself and talk (in any language) was just embarrassing.

Giving examples of Butt is pointless anyway. Yes he was educated and still got involved in match-fixing, but Amir and Asif were villagers. That doesn't mean that every educated captain or villager would be prone to match-fixing. It comes down to individual personality, and Masood seems like the last person in the team who would do such a thing.

The most sensible post here on this thread.

We don’t have other options other than Babar, Haris and Shan.

If I have to choose one I know which I am going to choose.

 

[Majid Khan]

If no one else , might as well make Babar captain on the basis that at least he gets selected into the XI as a player alone — as opposed to having Specialist captains who only get into XI because of their captaincy or English speaking skills

 

[hitthestump]

If Masood is appointed there is absolutely no point in anyone moaning.

The fact of the matter is that there isn't a single obvious test captaincy candidate in Pakistan right now.

Someone has to take the job and is hardly matters who when all options are equally terrible.

Pakistan fans should just hope that within 1-2 years a proper captain puts their hand up among the current crop.

 

[The Viper]

Watch after 10 minutes for a glimpse of Shan Masood's potential on UAE wickets. This was on a 4th day pitch that deteriorated into a sharp rank turner.

I would be very surprised if he struggles on the deadest wickets of the planet.

That was a quality knock, but he has struggled in the UAE in the past.

Thats why i think he should be given time to cement his place first, even another series or two.

 

[Boi]

And how many match winning innings has Asad Shafiq played?he is known to only do well in the last test of a series and when the pressure is off he will get a 40 odd thats been his story for 60 tests

I agree. Asad and Azhar have been major let downs since Mishbah and YK retired. There’s really little point in continuing with them.

 

[Chasing_The_Dream]

So this report is based on information from some Indian news site? Perhaps a better choice to source accurate information about Pakistan cricket Captain Sarfaraz would be from sports talk shows on Pakistani channels where many insiders share very detailed info and are in the loop about Sarfaraz’s present and future situation. There are quite a few former cricketers and PCB spokespeople who are far more knowledgeable and have greater insight about present cricketers as well as young up-and-coming cricketers vs some random, unknown Indian media source.

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

If its Babar as the next captain then this is a good decision. If its Masood, it might be one of the worst decisions in Pakistan Cricket History. I like Masood, and am hoping he can cement a spot in the starting 11, but there is no way he deserves the captaincy.

Also a big meh on Asad being captain. He does just enough to keep his spot in the squad. We need someone better than that.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Not new to Pakistan cricket. This is the exact same reason Butt was made captain, to a lesser extent Azhar Ali as well. Isn't this why Imad is considered for captaincy - because of his education and english ? And its never worked!

Honestly Shan even doesnt deserve a place as an opener. Posters here are making it sound like he performed like Richards against SA but these biased guys didn't mention how Shan failed in the one day series against Australia. Where was his work ethic and form then? Yes that was another format but why is his failure ignored? The same guys used to criticize Sarfaraz everyday as he was non-performing captain what about Shan now?

And yes you are right, criteria of speaking English and 'carrying himself' has not helped us for example Salman Butt, Azhar and recently Malik. Imad failed as captain too. Inzamam was a successful captain and he wasnt a fluent English speaker, was fat and and didnt have higher education from abroad.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Waisay if you see my old posts I have appreciated Shan for how he played against SA and even was gutted when he didnt get any century vs SA but really making him captain on basis of one 'decent' series is bafffling. And even after that series he failed badly vs Australia in one day series on phatta tracks in a format where he is Bradman in domestics. International cricket is not a piece of cake kiddiess.

And ohh yeah, Abid Ali deserve a place over Shan Masood as an opener both in odis and test matches.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Haris Sohail is not captaincy material at all; the guys here naming him as a captain must be joking

Why isnt he a captaincy material. Have you seen some guys telling how Haris has such a thinking brain and you will see him in slips often giving suggestions to Sarfaraz.

You can easily see the guy is a team player, technically sound and has a method in his game which he can apply while captaining too. Yes he may not speak fluent English and wont 'carry' himself like Shan or Malik or Imad (failure in psl captaincy) but still i will give him a go over these guys as he has more 'actual' qualities required for captaincy.

That being said, first choice should be Babar and if not him then Haris.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Can anyone do a comparison of Shan Masood and Abid in first class cricket in last 3 years? Shan even shouldnt be first choice opener and Abid showed how he is ready for international cricket by scoring a century on debut that he can handle pressure of international cricket while Shan"s average of 26 after 15 matches show a different story.

But oohhh yesshh, Abid doesn't 'carry' himself like Shan so he should not play for Pakistan. Amazing logic!

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

By the way,
Father of Shan Masood, Mansoor Masood Khan was/is a part of PCB board of governors representing UBL.

This reminded me of old times when some intelligent people even recommended Junaid Zia for National captaincy as he was supposedly educated, a hard worker and knew how to 'carry' himself.

 

[topspin]

That was a quality knock, but he has struggled in the UAE in the past.

Thats why i think he should be given time to cement his place first, even another series or two.

Yes against pace but remember that was Shan Masood mk 1 when he was full of technical flaws and simply not ready for international cricket.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Why isnt he a captaincy material. Have you seen some guys telling how Haris has such a thinking brain and you will see him in slips often giving suggestions to Sarfaraz.

You can easily see the guy is a team player, technically sound and has a method in his game which he can apply while captaining too. Yes he may not speak fluent English and wont 'carry' himself like Shan or Malik or Imad (failure in psl captaincy) but still i will give him a go over these guys as he has more 'actual' qualities required for captaincy.

That being said, first choice should be Babar and if not him then Haris.

Azhar ali as an opener + captain and Babar as vice captain should be the better option.. Azhar ali was given captaincy in the wrong format earlier which shouldnt be the yardstick to measure, now he has also retired from LOIs which will help him to concentrate on TESTS. He also got a county contract..

Shaan need more good series behind him to secure his place in the side before naming him as captain.. Haris need more series to be played consistently without breaking down just before important away series is not what u expect from ur captain.. Im afraid he will become a mathews of PAK if made captain..

Speaking english shouldnt be the criteria... Yes shan had a good series, which is good for him making a comeback into the test side... Even then he failed as an opener when promoted. He can take the no.3 or 4 spot though, not there yet to secure his place in the side..


My batting order would be

Azhar (c)
Imam (need to develop a youngster as an opener. atm imam is the best option
Haris
Shan
Babar
Sarfraz
Yasir
Asghar
Hasan ali or Shinwari or Hasnain
SSA
Abbas

Reserves
Usman Salahuddin, Sami Aslam, Saud Shakeel - for batsmen

 

[hadi123]

Masood needs to have 1 or 2 more good series

 

[Junaids]

And yes you are right, criteria of speaking English and 'carrying himself' has not helped us for example Salman Butt, Azhar and recently Malik. Imad failed as captain too. Inzamam was a successful captain and he wasnt a fluent English speaker, was fat and and didnt have higher education from abroad.

With respect, I very, very strongly disagree here.

Inzamam was in no way successful in the captaincy role. He was viewed - in England in particular - as an ignorant oaf, a buffoon who could bat but who had no leadership qualities whatsoever. By the end of his time as Pakistan captain, the consequences of his ignorant and outrageous behaviour at The Oval were that Pakistan had a completely empty international calendar.

The cricket world accepted Younis Khan as Pakistan's skipper, but when Shahid Afridi took over in 2010 the rest of the world groaned that this ball-chewer was now in charge, and the real shock of Salman Butt's exposure was that for six weeks since Shahid Afridi had run away in mid-series we had all been relieved to have a decent Pakistan captain who could talk in a civilised way and show some intelligence in his use of DRS.

Misbah was admired for being civilised, not for being any good at cricket because he wasn't really. His batting outside Asia was appalling and his captaincy was an international joke, especially his Asian fields to Yasir Shah in Australia and ultimately his clown-like decision to open the bowling at Sydney with Yasir Shah.

Shan Masood is not a great cricketer or even very good. But he works hard, has a good brain, has the manners which Inzamam, Shahid Afridi and Sarfraz lacked, and it's not as if any other batsman apart from Babar Azam is more established in the team anyway.

Pakistan need opposition teams to play them. Sarfraz Ahmed's racial outburst in South Africa was incredibly damaging, and they really need a period of proper leadership now.

 

[Junaids]

Just to expand on my point above.

Misbah-ul-Haq is a decent man and a hardworking cricketer whose sterling efforts allowed a man of virtually no talent to transform himself into a mediocre international cricketer.

But here in Australia he will be remembered forever as the worst captain ever to tour this country. And the reason was simple. He was a quite good - albeit ultra-conservative - skipper in the Asian conditions that he understood.

But he had spent very little time outside Asia, and he really did not understand the conditions at all in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. He thought he could apply an Asian template of Yasir Shah holding up an end, and instead found that he had worn out his quick bowlers halfway through the First Test of each series.

A good Test captain needs many qualities.

1. He needs to be a sound diplomat with a good knowledge of the world (so as not, for example, to make racist comments in a country which endured Apartheid).

2. He needs to speak excellent English, because that is the language of international cricket.

3. He needs to be good enough at Test cricket that he isn't going to lose form and stop justifying a place in the team (which again was a problem for Sarfraz).

4. He needs to be a man with a good enough education (formal like Imran Khan or simply in something like county cricket like Javed Miandad) that he can think analytically and weigh up potential risk and reward.

5. He needs to have researched cricket history around the world. Michael Clarke lacked the formal education of Misbah-ul-Haq, but he was a fervent student of cricket history and was never going to make the same sort of schoolboy errors in Asia that Misbah made in Australia.

Pakistan's best cricketer currently is Babar Azam. But he ticks hardly any of these boxes. Meanwhile Asad Shafiq remains as ignorant as he was 12 years ago, as we saw when he threw away a century in South Africa by going after everything with hard hands.

That's why Shan Masood is the only choice to captain the Test team.

 

[coy0607]

Honestly Shan even doesnt deserve a place as an opener. Posters here are making it sound like he performed like Richards against SA but these biased guys didn't mention how Shan failed in the one day series against Australia. Where was his work ethic and form then? Yes that was another format but why is his failure ignored? The same guys used to criticize Sarfaraz everyday as he was non-performing captain what about Shan now?

And yes you are right, criteria of speaking English and 'carrying himself' has not helped us for example Salman Butt, Azhar and recently Malik. Imad failed as captain too. Inzamam was a successful captain and he wasnt a fluent English speaker, was fat and and didnt have higher education from abroad.

To add, being educated and well spoken is a positive but shouldn't be the primary reason someone is made captain (as was the case with Butt, Azhar, and seemingly Imad and Shan). A good leader and high performer should be considered for captaincy - if they happen to speak fluent English and are well educated - that is a plus. Performance and leadership should always come first

For example, Imran Khan was a good captain because he was an all time great player, an amazing leader and great evaluator of talent. The fact that he was well spoken and educated was nice, but without those he wouldn't be any less of a captain

Back to Shan - he made 228 runs in SA Test series with 0 centuries and 2 half-centuries, with an average of 38. Did I miss something? Is that all it takes for someone to establish themselves, 6 average innings?!

 

[lahoriyah1234]

If PCB has any common sense left then, they should not hesitate to Make Harris Sohail Captain in both formats and T20 give it to Babar Azam to build him as a Leader who cares abt T20 anyway, use that as a platform to give him necessary platform to learn.

With Harris Sohail fitness hire a good fitness coach for him.

 

[Abdullah719]

Mickey Arthur Likely To Remain Pakistan Coach, Azhar Ali To Get Test Captaincy

Despite Pakistan's failure to make it to the knockout stage of the World Cup 2019, Mickey Arthur is most likely to retain his position as head coach, at least till the 2020 World T20. Pakistan were knocked out in the league stage of the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales. Pakistan, captained by Sarfaraz Ahmed finished fifth in the points table, at equal points (11) with New Zealand after the league stage. However, the Black Caps qualified as the fourth team for the semi-finals owing to better net run-rate.

On August 2, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) cricket committee will be reviewing their World Cup performance for which Arthur has already arrived in Lahore.

A Dawn report quoted sources as saying that initial deliberations over the appointment of the head coach, other members of coaching staff, new selection committee and captain had already begun immediately after the showpiece event ended on July 14 with England emerging as eventual winners.

The report further said that victories at the 2017 Champions Trophy and Pakistan's attaining top ranking in T20Is under Arthur's coaching are his plus points. And with World T20 nearing, Arthur will be the best man to head Pakistan.

The PCB is also mulling over split captaincy, with Azhar Ali likely to be made as Test captain while Sarfaraz will lead the team in limited-overs cricket. Azhar was removed as Test captain soon after Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017 under Sarfraz's leadership.

The report further said that Babar Azam may also be appointed as deputy to Sarfraz and Azhar to be groomed for future.

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/mic...coach-azhar-ali-to-get-test-captaincy-2077405

 

[topspin]

Mickey Arthur Likely To Remain Pakistan Coach, Azhar Ali To Get Test Captaincy

Despite Pakistan's failure to make it to the knockout stage of the World Cup 2019, Mickey Arthur is most likely to retain his position as head coach, at least till the 2020 World T20. Pakistan were knocked out in the league stage of the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales. Pakistan, captained by Sarfaraz Ahmed finished fifth in the points table, at equal points (11) with New Zealand after the league stage. However, the Black Caps qualified as the fourth team for the semi-finals owing to better net run-rate.

On August 2, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) cricket committee will be reviewing their World Cup performance for which Arthur has already arrived in Lahore.

A Dawn report quoted sources as saying that initial deliberations over the appointment of the head coach, other members of coaching staff, new selection committee and captain had already begun immediately after the showpiece event ended on July 14 with England emerging as eventual winners.

The report further said that victories at the 2017 Champions Trophy and Pakistan's attaining top ranking in T20Is under Arthur's coaching are his plus points. And with World T20 nearing, Arthur will be the best man to head Pakistan.

The PCB is also mulling over split captaincy, with Azhar Ali likely to be made as Test captain while Sarfaraz will lead the team in limited-overs cricket. Azhar was removed as Test captain soon after Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017 under Sarfraz's leadership.

The report further said that Babar Azam may also be appointed as deputy to Sarfraz and Azhar to be groomed for future.

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/mic...coach-azhar-ali-to-get-test-captaincy-2077405

Azhar Ali doesn't even warrant a place in the side and the PCB are going to make him captain.

Ehsan Mani is an incompetent individual. A big mistake from Imran Khan to appoint him as the Chairman of the PCB.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Azhar Ali doesn't even warrant a place in the side and the PCB are going to make him captain.

Ehsan Mani is an incompetent individual. A big mistake from Imran Khan to appoint him as the Chairman of the PCB.

It's just one report. To be honest I don't even know what to believe