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Sarfaraz Ahmed as a slip fielder?

Asch Ali

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His wicket keeping has been deteriorating in the past few months. He has been dropping catches and conceding a lot of runs. It may be safe to say that he may give up his glove job. It is more better for a more skilled keeper to take his place. But Sarfraz Ahmed should not be dropped as he is the captain of the team. And also he has a huge workload of keeping and captaining at the same time. So what’s the solution? Get a new wicketkeeper. A more quick, fast, accurate, athelitic guy like Mohammed Rizwan to keep. This guy will give more wickets to Pakistan, and release stress from Sarfraz Ahmed, which will even give more wickets. Ahmed should be moved to slip fielder which is pretty much 80-90% the same job and won’t require that much training. Slip fielders catch once every 2 overs, and keepers on the other hand catch almost every ball. In this plan, Rizwan will be given the job to catch every ball. Sarfraz will be on his brother’s side, being an analytical tactical captain with fewer fielding duties.

So best to say; “Sarfraz aap slip fielding karlay, ye to bohat acha rahay ga aap qay liye. Is waja se qay aap ka kaptani pe aur dehaan or tawajo rakh liya jai ga. Kaptani aur ehem kaam hai aur bus aap karsakte hai pure Pakistan mein. Keeping bohat lakhon bachay karsakte hai, unko aik to mauka mil jaye.”
 
That will weaken your batting as you may have to drop a regular batsman or an allrounder like Fahim.

Both Sarfraz and Rizwan in the same team will not work in overseas tours where batting will be cruicial for Pak's success.
 
That will weaken your batting as you may have to drop a regular batsman or an allrounder like Fahim.

Both Sarfraz and Rizwan in the same team will not work in overseas tours where batting will be cruicial for Pak's success.

Or forget Rizwan and just get a random keeper from Pakistan Cup. Who bats and keeps good, as a top order batsman or even opener. It can also be the solution to our weak top order.
 
Sarfaraz's position in the team will be under question if he does not keep. He wont do it out of self preservation
 
Sarfaraz's position in the team will be under question if he does not keep. He wont do it out of self preservation

We shouldn’t force him to keep. I think it’s best in mind of every management to have the man with safe hands to keep, and Sarfraz is not the man. The last thing we would want is him dropping a crucial catch in the World Cup. Sarfraz can’t be dropped as captain since he’s not terrible in captaining, much it can be slightly better. His captaining will improve massively once he’s not a keeper.
 
If Sarfraz drops more catches on this tour and doesn't score runs, his place in the test team will become untenable. Simple as.

And this is coming from a big Sarfraz supporter.
 
If Sarfraz drops more catches on this tour and doesn't score runs, his place in the test team will become untenable. Simple as.

And this is coming from a big Sarfraz supporter.

If I was Mickey. I would strip Sarfraz gloves immediately. Keep him in the team as a batsman/part time bowler captain who fields the slip and mid position.
 
He simply isnt good enough to make the team on batting alone He makes the team based on the combination of batting and keeping

Sarfraz needs to make sure his keeping is of a good standard and that he can avge about 40 with the bat otherwise his place in the team like now will be up for debate
 
If I was Mickey. I would strip Sarfraz gloves immediately. Keep him in the team as a batsman/part time bowler captain who fields the slip and mid position.

Without his keeping he will totally be a specialist captain. Batting/Fitness/Keeping nothing to write home about of late.
 
Or forget Rizwan and just get a random keeper from Pakistan Cup. Who bats and keeps good, as a top order batsman or even opener. It can also be the solution to our weak top order.

Are those players growing on trees , every team is looking for "Who bats and keeps good, as a top order batsman or even opener".
 
If I was Mickey. I would strip Sarfraz gloves immediately. Keep him in the team as a batsman/part time bowler captain who fields the slip and mid position.

I don't think he has ever bowled seriously. He has a better chance of improving his glove work than becoming a decent bowler. He doesn't seem like an agile fielder either.

His batting only works because he can keep. He is a counter-attacking batsman lower down the order. He doesn't play long innings. That's what is required from specialist batsmen in test cricket and he has no history of doing it.

Either he keeps and keeps well or he doesn't merit a place in the team.
 
It'll be a great innovation for Test cricket - specialist Captain bats at 8, fields at 1st slip (or go for a pee break when 1st slip isn't required, 12th man can serve for couple of hours), doesn't bowl and yells selectively. As if slip fielding is the easiest job, any one can stand there - this chap sometimes doesn't grab regulation gathers with modern keeping gloves (with baseball like flaps between index & thumb), he'll stand at 1st slip with bare hands and try to catch may be the only chance that comes in a day, in between his yelling!!!!!

PAK's Test ranking of 7 is best recognized from the effort of pampering this bang average player - as if the purpose of playing cricket for PAK team is to serve Sarfraz an arm band, rest are scondary.
 
It'll be a great innovation for Test cricket - specialist Captain bats at 8, fields at 1st slip (or go for a pee break when 1st slip isn't required, 12th man can serve for couple of hours), doesn't bowl and yells selectively. As if slip fielding is the easiest job, any one can stand there - this chap sometimes doesn't grab regulation gathers with modern keeping gloves (with baseball like flaps between index & thumb), he'll stand at 1st slip with bare hands and try to catch may be the only chance that comes in a day, in between his yelling!!!!!

PAK's Test ranking of 7 is best recognized from the effort of pampering this bang average player - as if the purpose of playing cricket for PAK team is to serve Sarfraz an arm band, rest are scondary.

Well said. He doesn't even go for regulation catches at times what will he do at first slip :)))?
 
Well said. He doesn't even go for regulation catches at times what will he do at first slip :)))?

He can catch the ball. But the problem is HE CANT DO IT EVERYTIME! Him being at slip will solve the problem as he will have small amounts of catches going his way.
 
It'll be a great innovation for Test cricket - specialist Captain bats at 8, fields at 1st slip (or go for a pee break when 1st slip isn't required, 12th man can serve for couple of hours), doesn't bowl and yells selectively. As if slip fielding is the easiest job, any one can stand there - this chap sometimes doesn't grab regulation gathers with modern keeping gloves (with baseball like flaps between index & thumb), he'll stand at 1st slip with bare hands and try to catch may be the only chance that comes in a day, in between his yelling!!!!!

PAK's Test ranking of 7 is best recognized from the effort of pampering this bang average player - as if the purpose of playing cricket for PAK team is to serve Sarfraz an arm band, rest are scondary.

I agree with your first four lines. But Sarfraz is oxygen to Pakistan cricket team. He cannot he dropped. He’s a talented player who was misplaced in the wrong position. A simple fix will solve the problem.
 
He can catch the ball. But the problem is HE CANT DO IT EVERYTIME! Him being at slip will solve the problem as he will have small amounts of catches going his way.

To accommodate him, you are suggesting to make PAK 10 men XI or should PCB ask ICC a favor for replacement WK during PAK's fielding. Over burdened WK, playing as a specialist bat isn't new in cricket - Sanga, Stewart had done it regularly; long back Sir Les Ames did that, for a good number of Test Sir Clide Walcott kept wicket (rest he played as specialist bat), and had Gilly not been best available gloves-man, he would have played as specialist bat & Aussies would have played a specialist WK (till Hileay was good, Adam Gilchrist didn't debut for AUS in Test!!!!!! - he debuted at 29-30, after 10-11 years of FC & 6-7 years of ODI career).

In my life time, I am reading for the 1st time that over burdened WK should be carried as a specialist slip fielder, for his dynamic yelling(read Captaincy). Sarfraz fans are giving new dimension to the great game after 150 years of history behind it.
 
To accommodate him, you are suggesting to make PAK 10 men XI or should PCB ask ICC a favor for replacement WK during PAK's fielding. Over burdened WK, playing as a specialist bat isn't new in cricket - Sanga, Stewart had done it regularly; long back Sir Les Ames did that, for a good number of Test Sir Clide Walcott kept wicket (rest he played as specialist bat), and had Gilly not been best available gloves-man, he would have played as specialist bat & Aussies would have played a specialist WK (till Hileay was good, Adam Gilchrist didn't debut for AUS in Test!!!!!! - he debuted at 29-30, after 10-11 years of FC & 6-7 years of ODI career).

In my life time, I am reading for the 1st time that over burdened WK should be carried as a specialist slip fielder, for his dynamic yelling(read Captaincy). Sarfraz fans are giving new dimension to the great game after 150 years of history behind it.

I don’t why it’s a problem. Many wicket keepers take the field either by choice or by management. Sri Lanka regularly does shifts of changing the keeper every few matches. But Sarfraz should permenately become skip fielder as he permenately is the captain.
 
I agree with your first four lines. But Sarfraz is oxygen to Pakistan cricket team. He cannot he dropped. He’s a talented player who was misplaced in the wrong position. A simple fix will solve the problem.

He is not a talented player AT ALL - he is the Wicket keeper version of Azhar Ali; very limited with natural skills, but effective when in good patch. Nothing, absolutely nothing in cricket is natural to Sarfraz, everything that he does is workman like and now one by one these qualities are leaving him, partially for age and most for his approach to the game, seear unprofessional. Even, spin play is not natural for him, otherwise he won't have struggled in NZ.

At this age, couple of months training could make Latof a better WK than Sarfraz, because he ws a natural WKeeping genius & his body structure (& Shape of course) was absolutely perfect for the job. During Latif's time stamp microphones were introduced, and I never heard ball thumping him palm even from Shoaib; this guy snatches even Asad's dollies & you probably can hear the sound without mic.phone.

Lastly, he is not a natural strategist or leader either & I am convinced on that now. Natural leaders lead the squad on players' merit and they encourage players to express their strengths/skills regardless of who it is. Sarfraz is good at managing buddies, because he was groomed in that way - he must have been an outstanding player in his batch at junior/club level, therefore drew respect and had been the leader always - but that's his range, within own circle. Put him in a team with 5/6 star player, you'll understand what I am telling. This is the worst PAK side in my experience of 4 decades, with Amir & Babar being superstar & Azhar is the batting hope, hence Sarfraz looks cool with his leadership, tactics, persona & yelling. Make him Captain in a squad with Saeed, Sohail opening, Ul Haq, Javed, Malik (cheat one), MoYo; Wasim, Waquar, Shoaib, A Razzak, Saq, Mushi, Latif .... ..... he won't even yell at the 12th man.

He is a good chap, but costing PAK team big time for couple of choked drops by Lankans, that's the bitter truth.
 
To accommodate him, you are suggesting to make PAK 10 men XI or should PCB ask ICC a favor for replacement WK during PAK's fielding. Over burdened WK, playing as a specialist bat isn't new in cricket - Sanga, Stewart had done it regularly; long back Sir Les Ames did that, for a good number of Test Sir Clide Walcott kept wicket (rest he played as specialist bat), and had Gilly not been best available gloves-man, he would have played as specialist bat & Aussies would have played a specialist WK (till Hileay was good, Adam Gilchrist didn't debut for AUS in Test!!!!!! - he debuted at 29-30, after 10-11 years of FC & 6-7 years of ODI career).

In my life time, I am reading for the 1st time that over burdened WK should be carried as a specialist slip fielder, for his dynamic yelling(read Captaincy). Sarfraz fans are giving new dimension to the great game after 150 years of history behind it.

He is not a talented player AT ALL - he is the Wicket keeper version of Azhar Ali; very limited with natural skills, but effective when in good patch. Nothing, absolutely nothing in cricket is natural to Sarfraz, everything that he does is workman like and now one by one these qualities are leaving him, partially for age and most for his approach to the game, seear unprofessional. Even, spin play is not natural for him, otherwise he won't have struggled in NZ.

At this age, couple of months training could make Latof a better WK than Sarfraz, because he ws a natural WKeeping genius & his body structure (& Shape of course) was absolutely perfect for the job. During Latif's time stamp microphones were introduced, and I never heard ball thumping him palm even from Shoaib; this guy snatches even Asad's dollies & you probably can hear the sound without mic.phone.

Lastly, he is not a natural strategist or leader either & I am convinced on that now. Natural leaders lead the squad on players' merit and they encourage players to express their strengths/skills regardless of who it is. Sarfraz is good at managing buddies, because he was groomed in that way - he must have been an outstanding player in his batch at junior/club level, therefore drew respect and had been the leader always - but that's his range, within own circle. Put him in a team with 5/6 star player, you'll understand what I am telling. This is the worst PAK side in my experience of 4 decades, with Amir & Babar being superstar & Azhar is the batting hope, hence Sarfraz looks cool with his leadership, tactics, persona & yelling. Make him Captain in a squad with Saeed, Sohail opening, Ul Haq, Javed, Malik (cheat one), MoYo; Wasim, Waquar, Shoaib, A Razzak, Saq, Mushi, Latif .... ..... he won't even yell at the 12th man.

He is a good chap, but costing PAK team big time for couple of choked drops by Lankans, that's the bitter truth.

I cannot believe how much hate Sarfraz Ahmed is getting. He cannot be removed from the Pakistan team, and he’s an excellent captain. Can we just come to a compromise, and make him slip fielder? It will be a win-win situation for the both sides.
 
He is not a talented player AT ALL - he is the Wicket keeper version of Azhar Ali; very limited with natural skills, but effective when in good patch. Nothing, absolutely nothing in cricket is natural to Sarfraz, everything that he does is workman like and now one by one these qualities are leaving him, partially for age and most for his approach to the game, seear unprofessional. Even, spin play is not natural for him, otherwise he won't have struggled in NZ.

At this age, couple of months training could make Latof a better WK than Sarfraz, because he ws a natural WKeeping genius & his body structure (& Shape of course) was absolutely perfect for the job. During Latif's time stamp microphones were introduced, and I never heard ball thumping him palm even from Shoaib; this guy snatches even Asad's dollies & you probably can hear the sound without mic.phone.

Lastly, he is not a natural strategist or leader either & I am convinced on that now. Natural leaders lead the squad on players' merit and they encourage players to express their strengths/skills regardless of who it is. Sarfraz is good at managing buddies, because he was groomed in that way - he must have been an outstanding player in his batch at junior/club level, therefore drew respect and had been the leader always - but that's his range, within own circle. Put him in a team with 5/6 star player, you'll understand what I am telling. This is the worst PAK side in my experience of 4 decades, with Amir & Babar being superstar & Azhar is the batting hope, hence Sarfraz looks cool with his leadership, tactics, persona & yelling. Make him Captain in a squad with Saeed, Sohail opening, Ul Haq, Javed, Malik (cheat one), MoYo; Wasim, Waquar, Shoaib, A Razzak, Saq, Mushi, Latif .... ..... he won't even yell at the 12th man.

He is a good chap, but costing PAK team big time for couple of choked drops by Lankans, that's the bitter truth.

Good and honest post. Guess honesty usually comes from a third party without any prejudices or biases.
 
I cannot believe how much hate Sarfraz Ahmed is getting. He cannot be removed from the Pakistan team, and he’s an excellent captain. Can we just come to a compromise, and make him slip fielder? It will be a win-win situation for the both sides.

[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] just a bitter guy.. he jelly about BD don't have players like Sarfaraz.. Your idea was excellent, a specialist slip fielder, innovative idea.. hope Micky sees this thread and apply this formula..
 
Rizwan is a poor batsman. Sarfraz is still the best wicket-keeper batsman in Pakistan cricket.
 
I cannot believe how much hate Sarfraz Ahmed is getting. He cannot be removed from the Pakistan team, and he’s an excellent captain. Can we just come to a compromise, and make him slip fielder? It will be a win-win situation for the both sides.

This is the thing that gets me irked up and believe me , I am a huge fan of what Sarfraz at his best can offer.

But why can't he be dropped from the team? We're languishing at 7th, his own form is below mediocre and his fitness is embarrassing and easily recognisable as the worst in the squad. When your 7th ranked, you can't afford to play a specialist tactician.

As soon as PAK starts losing more series, trust me this guys position in the team will become untenable. He needs to start performing.

Unfortunately PAK domestic wicketkeepung standards are at an all time low so there is no competition or back up in order to reduce workload either
 
I love the irony of some of these Sarfraz posts. It is literally the perfect example of accomodating a player.

I can't believe people turned against blokes like Misbah and Younus , yet are ok with accomodating Sarfraz.

He is a good captain, but nowhere near good enough to be accommodated. The only problem is there are no wicket keepers to take his spot.
 
This is getting boring now. Usual Sarfraz bashers again in full flow and not surprising that some of them are not Pakistanis or haven't lived in Pakistan. What Sarfraz is doing right now as skipper no one ever at-least in last 25 years has done. He is building a TEAM and cricket is a team game. Already got much better results than his predecessors with a newbie team. He will leave Pakistan cricket in a much better situation much to your disappointment.

@OP and topic
I will quote [MENTION=141557]Chief Destroyer[/MENTION], give the man a breathing space he is a leading team with so many youngsters. Once the youngsters settle, his performance will improve.
 
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This is getting boring now. Usual Sarfraz bashers again in full flow and not surprising that some of them are not Pakistanis or haven't lived in Pakistan. What Sarfraz is doing right now as skipper no one ever at-least in last 25 years has done. He is building a TEAM and cricket is a team game. Already got much better results than his predecessors with a newbie team. He will leave Pakistan cricket in a much better situation much to your disappointment.

@OP and topic
I will quote [MENTION=141557]Chief Destroyer[/MENTION], give the man a breathing space he is a leading team with so many youngsters. Once the youngsters settle, his performance will improve.


People are allowed an opinion. Stop playing the victim. When the captain isn't performing and we are struggling in tests do you expect people to say well done Sarfraz .

Sick of the victim mentality from Sarfraz fans.
 
Sick of the victim mentality from Sarfraz fans.

Sick of Sarfraz's haters bumping and posting the same things again and again thrice a day just to prove their point (which like CT they will again proved to be wrong). Remove this, sack that etc etc, bhai koi solution bhi to btao.
 
Sick of Sarfraz's haters bumping and posting the same things again and again thrice a day just to prove their point (which like CT they will again proved to be wrong). Remove this, sack that etc etc, bhai koi solution bhi to btao.


Still playing the victim I see. People are allowed opinions without being called haters.
 
Sick of Sarfraz's haters bumping and posting the same things again and again thrice a day just to prove their point (which like CT they will again proved to be wrong). Remove this, sack that etc etc, bhai koi solution bhi to btao.

Solution ye hai kai don't blindly follow or support anyone and accept criticisms where valid.
 
So how can you justify a spot for him based on merit?

As a wicket-keeper batsman I don't see anyone better in Pak right now. Plus with captaincy, I see him as the most valuable player in Pakistan right now. I gave my reasons on his captaincy in the few above posts.
 
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As a wicket-keeper batsman I don't see anyone better in Pak right now. Plus with captaincy, I see him as the most valuable player in Pakistan right now. I gave my reasons on his captaincy in the few above posts.

I get your point re Pakistani politics in cricket and he has somewhat gelled the team together but they are a young bunch and any assertive captain can have a similar affect, also it can go all pete and tong if they have a toxic captain.
 
I get your point re Pakistani politics in cricket and he has somewhat gelled the team together but they are a young bunch and any assertive captain can have a similar affect, also it can go all pete and tong if they have a toxic captain.

Its not just about gelling the team together. As someone who has followed Sarfi's captaincy since his u-19 days, there are quite a few other reasons and few are:

Sarfi is a honest guy who has always put Pakistan first and youngsters playing under such a captain will follow his way. You see our 90s team which was much more talented but were accused of (alleged) fixing, grouping, infighting etc. Then in mid 2000s the oath taking and infighting, then in 2010 another fixing scandal, captain retiring mid series, and recently captains and seniors selfishly clinging on to their places till mid 40s. While on the other side Sarfraz recently was the one who reported approach from a bookie and sometimes it is dangerous as a Pakistani to report such things. Youngsters on one side has someone like Butt as captain who ask his young players to fix while on other side a captain like Sarfi who report fixing approaches. I know who will i choose.

Much has been said about his on-field decisions but I think he has done pretty well on field, there are some selection mistakes but that was decision of captain plus coaching staff. And there is always room for improvement.

Sarfraz has always been a live wire as captain in the field. People talk about 2006 u-19 wc win final while no one talks about the semi final where Sarfraz was a live wire and his captaincy played a big part in winning us that match and then the World Cup. Sarfraz has always been aggressive and I think youngsters are pretty fine with it. There are 2 interviews of Hasan and Imad (Hasan's one taken by PP) where they said the dont mind Sarfi's aggressive behavior instead it motivates them. Imad even said Sarfraz is the best thing ever happened to Pakistan cricket. Shadab came on TV and said Sarfraz has helped him a lot and d gave him the confidence and something like we are lucky to be playing under Sarfraz. Fakhar, and Amir also praised him highly. Ab har koi makhan to nai laga raha ho ga.

Sarfraz is not afraid of trying young talent and is the first one who backs his young boys. One can see that by the number of young payers who played under him in 3 formats. Youngsters have been given a long run which is a great sign.

One thing which is taken lightly is team environment. I think after Sarfraz's induction as captain team environment has improved remarkably. He has even made egos like Shehzad in check be it Quetta Gladiors or be it Pakistan National team.

Lastly I think in cricket captain plays a major role especially for a country like Pakistan, and I don't see any other Pakistani player near to the capabilities which Sarfraz has as captain. His major weak point now is leading from the front thing which I hope will improve once the youngsters settle down.

We are building a very good team in all formats here and I don't see any other captain even remotely close to Sarfraz right now. The only available choices in test are Amir and Azhar but Azhar is not a natural leader while giving captaincy to someone like Amir who did fixing in past wont go well with Pakistanis. And lets be honest here, players like Fakhar , Shadab who even haven't played 3 test matches wont be made captain. This is Pakistan not SA/Aus/NZ.
 
Sick of Sarfraz's haters bumping and posting the same things again and again thrice a day just to prove their point (which like CT they will again proved to be wrong). Remove this, sack that etc etc, bhai koi solution bhi to btao.

Sahi kaha hai aap ne. Sarfraz has a tendency to deliver a shut up call to the haters.
 
Its not just about gelling the team together. As someone who has followed Sarfi's captaincy since his u-19 days, there are quite a few other reasons and few are:

Sarfi is a honest guy who has always put Pakistan first and youngsters playing under such a captain will follow his way. You see our 90s team which was much more talented but were accused of (alleged) fixing, grouping, infighting etc. Then in mid 2000s the oath taking and infighting, then in 2010 another fixing scandal, captain retiring mid series, and recently captains and seniors selfishly clinging on to their places till mid 40s. While on the other side Sarfraz recently was the one who reported approach from a bookie and sometimes it is dangerous as a Pakistani to report such things. Youngsters on one side has someone like Butt as captain who ask his young players to fix while on other side a captain like Sarfi who report fixing approaches. I know who will i choose.

Much has been said about his on-field decisions but I think he has done pretty well on field, there are some selection mistakes but that was decision of captain plus coaching staff. And there is always room for improvement.

Sarfraz has always been a live wire as captain in the field. People talk about 2006 u-19 wc win final while no one talks about the semi final where Sarfraz was a live wire and his captaincy played a big part in winning us that match and then the World Cup. Sarfraz has always been aggressive and I think youngsters are pretty fine with it. There are 2 interviews of Hasan and Imad (Hasan's one taken by PP) where they said the dont mind Sarfi's aggressive behavior instead it motivates them. Imad even said Sarfraz is the best thing ever happened to Pakistan cricket. Shadab came on TV and said Sarfraz has helped him a lot and d gave him the confidence and something like we are lucky to be playing under Sarfraz. Fakhar, and Amir also praised him highly. Ab har koi makhan to nai laga raha ho ga.

Sarfraz is not afraid of trying young talent and is the first one who backs his young boys. One can see that by the number of young payers who played under him in 3 formats. Youngsters have been given a long run which is a great sign.

One thing which is taken lightly is team environment. I think after Sarfraz's induction as captain team environment has improved remarkably. He has even made egos like Shehzad in check be it Quetta Gladiors or be it Pakistan National team.

Lastly I think in cricket captain plays a major role especially for a country like Pakistan, and I don't see any other Pakistani player near to the capabilities which Sarfraz has as captain. His major weak point now is leading from the front thing which I hope will improve once the youngsters settle down.

We are building a very good team in all formats here and I don't see any other captain even remotely close to Sarfraz right now. The only available choices in test are Amir and Azhar but Azhar is not a natural leader while giving captaincy to someone like Amir who did fixing in past wont go well with Pakistanis. And lets be honest here, players like Fakhar , Shadab who even haven't played 3 test matches wont be made captain. This is Pakistan not SA/Aus/NZ.

Still a very apologetic post. Your whole post just mentions how he should be in the team as a specialist captain which doesn't cut it in this day and age. Like I said, he is currently in this position for just being a specialist captain.

Newcomers like Shadab and Hassan can't say anything against him but I doubt this will continue once they outrank him due to their performances.

Even in the CT group stages he gave a couple of dollies succumbing under pressure to Perrera (the real hero) who somehow managed to drop them.

Whatever team we are building it is due to zero contributions for the part he was chosen for i,e batting and fielding and if he can influence the team to gel he might as well due that in another capacity and not waster another batting/keeping spot.
 
Just imagine Captain cool Sarfraz standing in the slips, commanding with his bare hands. Talking to his wicket keeper and bowler, setting the field just right. He will naturally become a cooler person in the slips.

One of the flaws with Sarfraz is that he is too mean. Well psychologically speaking, by the act of wicket keeping one can become more aggressive and loud in personality. They put forth a lot of physical and mental energy into the act of wicket keeping. They have to keeps all eyes on every delivery, They have to catch, they have to save byes, they have to save wides, they have to run to the stumps AT LEAST 500 times a day on a Full day of a Test. Since keepers have all this kind of work to do, they tend to be NATURALLY more mean than other players. For example Akmal.

By becoming a slip fielder captain, Sarfraz will leave all of the stress behind and become cool chill. Slip fielders are naturally most nicest players in cricket. Example of Younis Khan.

Sarfraz will also take care of his batting more. Which is merely out of form, he is a superb batsman, his batting is classy and they are many examples of it. When, wicket keeping is off the list, he can be promoted up the batting order just like pre-captaincy era.
 
Still a very apologetic post. Your whole post just mentions how he should be in the team as a specialist captain which doesn't cut it in this day and age. Like I said, he is currently in this position for just being a specialist captain.

Newcomers like Shadab and Hassan can't say anything against him but I doubt this will continue once they outrank him due to their performances.

Even in the CT group stages he gave a couple of dollies succumbing under pressure to Perrera (the real hero) who somehow managed to drop them.

Whatever team we are building it is due to zero contributions for the part he was chosen for i,e batting and fielding and if he can influence the team to gel he might as well due that in another capacity and not waster another batting/keeping spot.

The post was in reply to your post where you said he has somewhat gelled the team together but they are a young bunch and any assertive captain can have a similar affect. I haven't talked about his batting. There are no better choices as a wicket-keeper batsman in Pakistan right now. Umair Masood is an option but he needs at least 3 first class seasons under his belt. Someone new will be selected and after few months fans will say drop him and select another one. Chopping and changing never works.

Speaking of CT, drop catches are a part of game, you have to take your chances. Like Steve Waugh did in 99 WC when Gibbs dropped him and Kohli couldnt when Azhar dropped him to give a few examples.

Anyways, I always see the overall value of a player for Pakistan. Keepng+Batting+CAPTAINCY makes Sarfraz the most valuable player in Pakistan right now in my eyes.
 
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Its not just about gelling the team together. As someone who has followed Sarfi's captaincy since his u-19 days, there are quite a few other reasons and few are:

Sarfi is a honest guy who has always put Pakistan first and youngsters playing under such a captain will follow his way. You see our 90s team which was much more talented but were accused of (alleged) fixing, grouping, infighting etc. Then in mid 2000s the oath taking and infighting, then in 2010 another fixing scandal, captain retiring mid series, and recently captains and seniors selfishly clinging on to their places till mid 40s. While on the other side Sarfraz recently was the one who reported approach from a bookie and sometimes it is dangerous as a Pakistani to report such things. Youngsters on one side has someone like Butt as captain who ask his young players to fix while on other side a captain like Sarfi who report fixing approaches. I know who will i choose.

Much has been said about his on-field decisions but I think he has done pretty well on field, there are some selection mistakes but that was decision of captain plus coaching staff. And there is always room for improvement.

Sarfraz has always been a live wire as captain in the field. People talk about 2006 u-19 wc win final while no one talks about the semi final where Sarfraz was a live wire and his captaincy played a big part in winning us that match and then the World Cup. Sarfraz has always been aggressive and I think youngsters are pretty fine with it. There are 2 interviews of Hasan and Imad (Hasan's one taken by PP) where they said the dont mind Sarfi's aggressive behavior instead it motivates them. Imad even said Sarfraz is the best thing ever happened to Pakistan cricket. Shadab came on TV and said Sarfraz has helped him a lot and d gave him the confidence and something like we are lucky to be playing under Sarfraz. Fakhar, and Amir also praised him highly. Ab har koi makhan to nai laga raha ho ga.

Sarfraz is not afraid of trying young talent and is the first one who backs his young boys. One can see that by the number of young payers who played under him in 3 formats. Youngsters have been given a long run which is a great sign.

One thing which is taken lightly is team environment. I think after Sarfraz's induction as captain team environment has improved remarkably. He has even made egos like Shehzad in check be it Quetta Gladiors or be it Pakistan National team.

Lastly I think in cricket captain plays a major role especially for a country like Pakistan, and I don't see any other Pakistani player near to the capabilities which Sarfraz has as captain. His major weak point now is leading from the front thing which I hope will improve once the youngsters settle down.

We are building a very good team in all formats here and I don't see any other captain even remotely close to Sarfraz right now. The only available choices in test are Amir and Azhar but Azhar is not a natural leader while giving captaincy to someone like Amir who did fixing in past wont go well with Pakistanis. And lets be honest here, players like Fakhar , Shadab who even haven't played 3 test matches wont be made captain. This is Pakistan not SA/Aus/NZ.


Look bro, I understand your a huge fan of Sarfraz and for good reason - he's been a breath of fresh air for PAK cricket. But the reasons you are providing have nothing to do with cricket. You can't continue to accommodate a player because he is a "great guy" and all the players like him. Heck, the so called "senior players" of this team mention the influence of Misbah and Younus all the time in interviews, yet they are treated as villains on this forum. Performance has to be the key criteria, especially for the national skipper. It sends a horrible precedent if the captain is struggling with fitness, form. Not only that, Sarfraz has played some absolutely horrible shots in the last 2 years at key moments - some of the shots he played in the SL test series at crucial junctures were simply unbefitting of a captain, and arguably lost us the series.

Now, this doesnt mean that we should banish him forever, because that would be ludicrous. But the suggestion is that there should at least be a backup wicketkeeper and captain ready in the team because

a. nobody is indispensible
b. Sarfraz's form is really worrying

Also, whilst Sarfraz has contributed to the current team climate, he isnt the sole reason behind it. Its wrong to discredit the influence of Mickey Arthur and Inzamam, who after every interview mention that they are specifically looking for younger cricketers. We need to stop pretending that if Sarfraz was to be rested, TTFs would return and all hell would break loose.

He's done a great job for PAK cricket, and consequently has huge respect from a lot of quarters but accommodating him as a slip fielder just because he's a good captain is simply not professional. I can't believe you are in favour of this yet you have mentioned in your own post that Misbah and Younus selfishly clung onto their places until their 40s and totally undermined Misbah's acheivements of captain by saying that Sarfraz is the best captain since Imran? Do you know that in all the last ODI, Test and T20 series Misbah played, he was the top scorer. Do you understand the fitness precedents he set for the younger players? For all his faults, Misbah took us from the depths of 2010 to 2016 where we were ranked NO.1. But no, lets forget everything those 2 did because it wasn't sexy, we weren't playing aggressive cricket and the average age was high.

If you are not aware, we are currently ranked No.7 in Tests and No.6 in ODIs. Sarfraz isn't indispensible, nobody is. We need to stop pretending that dropping Sarfraz is some sort of ludicrous suggestion and taking his current form into consideration, we need to start preparing some alternatives.
 
If you are not aware, we are currently ranked No.7 in Tests and No.6 in ODIs. Sarfraz isn't indispensible, nobody is.

Before Sarfraz became captain, we were no 8 in t20s and now no 1. No 8 in odis and now no 6 (won CT too) and no 7/6 in tests and now no 7. I rest my case :)

And i admit his performance has been below par with bat and gloves, but droping him isnt the solution. I will give him time atleast till SA series and see from there on.
 
Hain :o Bro when did i say this?
I wrote keeping + batting + captaincy multiple times.

My bad, need to use some glasses :)

But do you get my main point ? You shouldn't be anti-Sarf just because you mention he can't be accomodated. This doesn't mean he should be dropped immediately as well .
 
My bad, need to use some glasses :)

But do you get my main point ? You shouldn't be anti-Sarf just because you mention he can't be accomodated. This doesn't mean he should be dropped immediately as well .

Your point is valid and is a genuine concern. I am not denying it yar.
 
Your point is valid and is a genuine concern. I am not denying it yar.

Lets hope that Sarfraz returns to form. Its an easier world to live in if he's performing at his best because PAK certainly needs him fit and firing, especially if the back ups are KAkmal and Rizwan :(.
 
the guy can't catch with gloves on so let's put him in slips. He's hardly justifying his spot at the moment. His wicket keeping is deteriorating day by day and his fitness isn't improving too. I would suggest if he's doesn't perform in the next few series then he should retire from test and concentrate on odis and t20s.
 
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Yep, if you want to hide someone in the field because he can't catch then it's a good idea not to transfer him from one of the most important catching positions to another one of the most important catching positions.
 
The question you need to ask yourself is whether Sarfaraz is good enough batsman to hold his place in the side as a batsman alone. In tests probably since he averages around 40 but in ODI's and T20's can he just play as a batsman? His fielding is something untested, how do we know if would not mis-field a lot and drop catches? Has he fielded before?
 
Logic dictates that you select the best XI you possibly can and then appoint a captain from within those individuals. In Pakistan, we appoint a captain first and then build a team around him! :14: :14:

Logic dying a painful slow death I presume.......
 
[MENTION=143023]SarfiBabarHaris[/MENTION]

You are doing injustice to me. There is nothing personal against Sarfraz.

But, the guy is failing in an uncompromising area. PAK is ranked 6th/7th in major 2 formats with a clear gap from the top 5 (I know the ODI gap with AUS); therefore it's not expected that the WK will be a 40+ average player and top gloves-man as well - it doesn't happen. Even in a team game, ranking or strength of a team is the sum of individual pieces and WK is probably the most important piece in that block, because it's a must spot in XI.

In recent times, Sarfraz has lots of 10s & 20s - he is getting out after a good time in middle, which indicates it might not be a bad patch, rather lack of capability, it's his batting limit; which is acceptable, because Rizwan isn't reliable either with bat. He is absolutely shocking with gloves, but still that can be acceptable as there is none reliable & tested available. If you read my other post on Sarfraz, I don't mind Sarfraz even with an average of 15-25, if he could do his primary job perfectly. Still I could have avoided writing my thoughts, unless...

..... what isn't acceptable AT ALL is his approach to the game. Being Captain, what example he is setting to younger players - you can get away with diet/fitness if you are senior? You can get away with ugly on-field antics because of being Captain? You can shout to younger players almost to the insulting level because they debuted in the period when your were Captain, as if you own them? I don't want to remind you Hasan incident, which should be an eye opener. Test Captain in commonwealth states is the highest sports honor, almost like a diplomat; British queen used to have a dinner with touring teams at the Palace, with the Captain by her side - this guy smashes stamps at random, foul mouths players, throws gloves/balls, scolds them freely when he is a bot in field!!!!

I give an unpopular example - take Mashrafee. If you see him on field, you should realize what is command and what is setting examples. The guy has at least 10 operations on his knees, there is more metal than bones there; but he is the hardest worker of the team. He doesn't leave the field after opening spell, he doesn't scold his players by their status - from Shakib to Miraz, everyone has got mouthful from him, but every one a pat on back as well. He built a team out of very limited resources and drew respect as well for his on field image.

You said, Sarfraz is building a team, I do know a bit about building a team as well. When one is given Captaincy for 3 squads, for a long term, obviously he'll have some fixed players and some younger ones - that doesn't mean he is the only one building team. I take an example of Misbah, we might criticize him, but he was Captain of PAK for 6 years, and he also did build that Test team, from scratch, starting from the lowest point of PAK Cricket. He himself carried longer, had his own core players - he is duly criticized for that, BUT 6 years back when he was given charge, most of these players were also young and they built the core of Test team which reached No. 1, without being yelled at random, I must say.

I see lots of harsh word for Misbah, I myself being part of it sometimes - because I felt guy should have retired after UK tour and from ODI after 2013 CT. But, he was removed from T20 long back, though he was performing player that time; he was removed from ODI after WC 2015, though he saved PAK from the ultimate disgrace of missing a given QF spot to ZIM. And, till his last day, he commanded his spot in Test squad - was MoS in UK, could have been MoS in WI as well, in his last series.

This is performance as a player, between Misbah & Sarfraz, which still I can give to Sarfraz - PAK doesn't have the options, for a 7th ranked team. BUT, Misbah was an absolute role model on an off the field - the hardest worker among players, the fittest in squad at mid 40s and the most polished PAK captain, probably ever - I haven't ever seen Kardar, but Imran wasn't polished, neither gentleman; he was charismatic, he drew respect and command, but he was extremely competitive, arrogant and too proud to be polished. What precedence Sarfraz is setting for his players or successor?

I see a victim mentality from every Sarfraz fan (almost everyone outside Punjab, more specifically from Karachi), which probably is true - not only cricket, PAK is dominated by Punjabis, and that's not in 2018 only, from 1948 - but that can't be hold against anyone that raises valid questions on Sarfraz.

There is a thick line between fan & fanatic - fan supports players & expect them to perform; fanatics expect everyone to shut up against their players, regardless of whatever and put everything under carpet - that's why they say fanaticism is blind.
 
He has to keep to maintain his place in the team.His performances with both gloves and bat have been poor for a while now.
 
Sure. You can tag me in the relevant thread and I’ll respond. Please understand the purpose behind this thread. It wasn’t created to start a debate.
[MENTION=146346]Mr.Q[/MENTION] , just tagged you in the relevant thread like you requested. Can you please point out the facts you were talking about?
 
[MENTION=146346]Mr.Q[/MENTION] , just tagged you in the relevant thread like you requested. Can you please point out the facts you were talking about?

OK let’s start with his batting. Wicket keeper batsmen are usually very aggressive because they pick the length up so quickly. That comes from the experience of observing the trajectory of 100s of balls after they hit the surface. It’s something that happens involuntarily. He’s not a naturally aggressive batsman and lacks the instincts of a wicketkeeper batsman. Compare him with the other batsmen in the team. I’ve seen him bat against spin bowling. In the series against Sri Lanka he really struggled. He advanced down the wicket a few times but couldn’t connect. Then he attempted the sweep shot. For a batsman from the subcontinent or for most batsmen who play spin well, it’s not a first choice shot. It’s popular outside the subcontinent because despite of the risk, it helps to counter the turn in situations where you’re unsure which way it’s turning. I didn’t see anything that suggests he’s a great player of spin bowling during NZ tour either.

I don’t rate him very highly as a wicket-keeper. You know why. His keeping is okayish. But the standards are quickly going down with his fitness.

Now comes the captaincy part. Captaincy is not just about field placements. A captain is a leader. How motivated is he as a captain? Look at his fitness(or the lack of it). How often do you see him play a captain’s knock? A captain is someone who is expected to lead from the front with his approach to the game. Is he the ideal example for the youngsters in the team? He’s not a charismatic leader.

Sarfraz is a very nice guy and I have a lot of respect for him but he’s not immune to criticism. He needs to improve his keeping and batting, for which he needs to improve his fitness first. As of now Pakistan doesn’t have a replacement for him. If he improves his fitness he can be a part of the current Pakistan setup but I don’t know if he’ll be able to keep up if the expectations increase. Only he can answer it with the bat and gloves.
 
OK let’s start with his batting. Wicket keeper batsmen are usually very aggressive because they pick the length up so quickly. That comes from the experience of observing the trajectory of 100s of balls after they hit the surface. It’s something that happens involuntarily. He’s not a naturally aggressive batsman and lacks the instincts of a wicketkeeper batsman. Compare him with the other batsmen in the team. I’ve seen him bat against spin bowling. In the series against Sri Lanka he really struggled. He advanced down the wicket a few times but couldn’t connect. Then he attempted the sweep shot. For a batsman from the subcontinent or for most batsmen who play spin well, it’s not a first choice shot. It’s popular outside the subcontinent because despite of the risk, it helps to counter the turn in situations where you’re unsure which way it’s turning. I didn’t see anything that suggests he’s a great player of spin bowling during NZ tour either.

I don’t rate him very highly as a wicket-keeper. You know why. His keeping is okayish. But the standards are quickly going down with his fitness.

Now comes the captaincy part. Captaincy is not just about field placements. A captain is a leader. How motivated is he as a captain? Look at his fitness(or the lack of it). How often do you see him play a captain’s knock? A captain is someone who is expected to lead from the front with his approach to the game. Is he the ideal example for the youngsters in the team? He’s not a charismatic leader.

Sarfraz is a very nice guy and I have a lot of respect for him but he’s not immune to criticism. He needs to improve his keeping and batting, for which he needs to improve his fitness first. As of now Pakistan doesn’t have a replacement for him. If he improves his fitness he can be a part of the current Pakistan setup but I don’t know if he’ll be able to keep up if the expectations increase. Only he can answer it with the bat and gloves.


Agree with some of your points about his batting,but the bit about his captaincy is just subjective. How do you measure motivation or charisma? He has been successful as captain pretty much every time he has led a team. Won the U-19 WC, the CT win, took his team to the finals twice in the PSL. Surely all this cannot be a fluke? Yes he needs to work on his behaviour as captain but it seems unreasonable to say he isn't a natural leader considering he has almost always had success when he has led.


No one is saying he is perfect, he has a lot to work on but to say he isn't a natural at anything related to cricket is just a hyperbole and not fact based at all.
 
Agree with some of your points about his batting,but the bit about his captaincy is just subjective. How do you measure motivation or charisma? He has been successful as captain pretty much every time he has led a team. Won the U-19 WC, the CT win, took his team to the finals twice in the PSL. Surely all this cannot be a fluke? Yes he needs to work on his behaviour as captain but it seems unreasonable to say he isn't a natural leader considering he has almost always had success when he has led.


No one is saying he is perfect, he has a lot to work on but to say he isn't a natural at anything related to cricket is just a hyperbole and not fact based at all.

Charisma is not something you measure. It’s something you see/feel. I haven’t observed his field placements or tactics so I can’t comment on that. He loses his temper sometimes but that’s ok. And his achievements as captain suggests that he’s not a bad captain either. But still he’s not a captain many would aspire to be. Why? Think.

Again let’s get to the core of [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] ‘s post. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean to say Sarfraz is good for nothing. You won’t reach the highest level if you’re good for nothing. But when you set international cricket as a benchmark, you can clearly see what he’s talking about. His recent performances as a batsman and as a wicket keeper aren’t that of a player who belongs to this level. It’s not lack of form but a lack of fitness which indicates a lack of motivation. And to a certain extent a lack of ability as well I think.

He is going to get plenty of chances to prove his critics wrong. Let’s hope he can do that :).
 
This is how much proetction his fans want to give him . And his fans tell us he is hated. They so badly want to keep him in the team they just want him to stand around and "lead"

How low has our cricket gone where this average cricketer is being protected and defended so much ? :facepalm: :facepalm:
[MENTION=57576]MRSN[/MENTION] [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] [MENTION=139288]Abdul[/MENTION]
 
This is how much proetction his fans want to give him . And his fans tell us he is hated. They so badly want to keep him in the team they just want him to stand around and "lead"

How low has our cricket gone where this average cricketer is being protected and defended so much ? :facepalm: :facepalm:
[MENTION=57576]MRSN[/MENTION] [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] [MENTION=139288]Abdul[/MENTION]

I have written enough in this thread itself on this subject - don't want to irritate fan base more. My only upsose is that, having a 100+ years of cricket history & heritage, still why almost every time, PCB's actions are after thought - almost as a desperate measure? There is a HIGH chance that after SAF tour Sarfraz will be sacked, just few months before WC & PAK'll go to WC under a new Captain - but why? Why can't PAK with such a rich cricket history can't see fundamental obvious?

Sarfraz himself was made Captain few months before CT, replacing a bigger blunder - Azhar Ali, that didn't stop PAK winning CT; now why fan base & PCB is hell bent that 7-8 months before WC with at least 20 more games at hand, a new Captain can't be appointed? Forget Misbah, Azhar Ali was contributing far better than Sarfraz as ODI Captain - both as player & Captain. His bad luck was that he didn't get a run of 10 games against ZIM & SRL reserves as Captain.
 
This is how much proetction his fans want to give him . And his fans tell us he is hated. They so badly want to keep him in the team they just want him to stand around and "lead"

How low has our cricket gone where this average cricketer is being protected and defended so much ? :facepalm: :facepalm:
[MENTION=57576]MRSN[/MENTION] [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] [MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] [MENTION=139288]Abdul[/MENTION]
I can't believe how these people defend Sarfraz batting and captaincy despite witnessing Asia cup surrender. He is the most mediocre and average cricketer to retain captaincy for such a long time but eventually you run out of luck if you are not that good which is happening with Sarfraz. Cricket these days can't afford a passenger player becoming captain. These days you need contribution from every player to win. You are not going to see Waqar/Wasim match winning spells. Our batting is so weak yet we have mediocre player captaining us and bits and pieces cricketers becoming our specialist all rounders. If we don't learn from our problems exposed in the Asia cuo then an early exit awaits us in the world cup too.
 
I have written enough in this thread itself on this subject - don't want to irritate fan base more. My only upsose is that, having a 100+ years of cricket history & heritage, still why almost every time, PCB's actions are after thought - almost as a desperate measure? There is a HIGH chance that after SAF tour Sarfraz will be sacked, just few months before WC & PAK'll go to WC under a new Captain - but why? Why can't PAK with such a rich cricket history can't see fundamental obvious?

Sarfraz himself was made Captain few months before CT, replacing a bigger blunder - Azhar Ali, that didn't stop PAK winning CT; now why fan base & PCB is hell bent that 7-8 months before WC with at least 20 more games at hand, a new Captain can't be appointed? Forget Misbah, Azhar Ali was contributing far better than Sarfraz as ODI Captain - both as player & Captain. His bad luck was that he didn't get a run of 10 games against ZIM & SRL reserves as Captain.

People who overrate Sarfraz batting and advocate no. 4 position for him must have seen his tailender esque batting against the shinning ball against BD. No wonder why he was hiding himself behind tailenders all this time since he became captain because he was not good enough. He has played it well for himself but for team and fans it could turn out to be a disaster.

World cups don't come every years. It is a special trophy to play for and all team comes with their best teams. While we are content with our failures and weaknesses even against weaker sides on our favourite conditions.

It just seems like no one have the courage to remove liabilities from this team and call a spade a spade.
 
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I can't believe how these people defend Sarfraz batting and captaincy despite witnessing Asia cup surrender. He is the most mediocre and average cricketer to retain captaincy for such a long time but eventually you run out of luck if you are not that good which is happening with Sarfraz. Cricket these days can't afford a passenger player becoming captain. These days you need contribution from every player to win. You are not going to see Waqar/Wasim match winning spells. Our batting is so weak yet we have mediocre player captaining us and bits and pieces cricketers becoming our specialist all rounders. If we don't learn from our problems exposed in the Asia cuo then an early exit awaits us in the world cup too.

His fans don't understand that his tactics aren't that amazing so he needs to lead through performance and he just can't do that. He has always been an average cricketer.
 
I have written enough in this thread itself on this subject - don't want to irritate fan base more. My only upsose is that, having a 100+ years of cricket history & heritage, still why almost every time, PCB's actions are after thought - almost as a desperate measure? There is a HIGH chance that after SAF tour Sarfraz will be sacked, just few months before WC & PAK'll go to WC under a new Captain - but why? Why can't PAK with such a rich cricket history can't see fundamental obvious?

Sarfraz himself was made Captain few months before CT, replacing a bigger blunder - Azhar Ali, that didn't stop PAK winning CT; now why fan base & PCB is hell bent that 7-8 months before WC with at least 20 more games at hand, a new Captain can't be appointed? Forget Misbah, Azhar Ali was contributing far better than Sarfraz as ODI Captain - both as player & Captain. His bad luck was that he didn't get a run of 10 games against ZIM & SRL reserves as Captain.


I don't care who is made captain to be honest. I just know Sarfraz isn't the man to lead us going forward.
 
I don't care who is made captain to be honest. I just know Sarfraz isn't the man to lead us going forward.

As a fan, how frustrating it can be, when you wish & pray that team looses games after games hopelessly to get rid of the Captain!!!!
 
As a fan, how frustrating it can be, when you wish & pray that team looses games after games hopelessly to get rid of the Captain!!!!

Nah I never hope we lose. I want Sarfraz to prove me wrong but I know that he won't.
 
He failed again in wicketkeeping department. Missed out on two clear reviews. An LBW and Edge. He should've called for them immediately because who has a better sight besides a WK? Also a grand total of TWO dismissals in 220 overs of fielding. He missed stumping twice. He missed byes countless number of times. Sarfraz should just take off the gloves and go somewhere else in the field, because apparently he seems un-droppable from the team.
 
He failed again in wicketkeeping department. Missed out on two clear reviews. An LBW and Edge. He should've called for them immediately because who has a better sight besides a WK? Also a grand total of TWO dismissals in 220 overs of fielding. He missed stumping twice. He missed byes countless number of times. Sarfraz should just take off the gloves and go somewhere else in the field, because apparently he seems un-droppable from the team.

Just checked Mohammad Rizwan's LA and FC stats, he's been in pretty good form. He's a comfortably better keeper than Sarfraz and he's been churning out the runs lately. Perhaps replace Sarfraz with Rizwan in tests (and make someone else captain) so that at the very least Sarfraz has less on his plate and can focus more on WC prep?
 
The keeper has been injured. It will be interesting if he will still be on the field or sit in the pavilion.
 
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