Sarfaraz Ahmed - Captaincy Watch

[Destroyer88]

Sarfaraz has to be partially blamed for his on field tactics. . He's a captain and he's the only one making decisions out there.
I understand your point and which is why i said PARTIALLY blamed but unfortunately he'll be made the scapegoat and thrown in obscurity like everyone else

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Gist of the thread.

Azhar fails = Misbah school of thought, sack him.

Sarfraz fails = not his fault, give him time, he will get better, Mickey is the real reason.

Moral of the thread.


When you like someone, any excuse is good enough to make that someone look next coming of Mike Brearly or Imran Khan as captaincy.

 

[Salman]

We need to give Sarfaraz time. Period.

Agreed, he may not care much for weekly haircuts and fancy male grooming but he's got that hard working mentality look to him, bigger, better and prettier Pakistan captains have failed and made ridiculous decisions on the field, funny how knives come out after 1 game.

 

[Macho Mann]

Pakistanis instead of asking to sack PCB selection board and mickey arthur who is trying to behave as a dictator are asking to fire a captain who has a track record for good captaincy and replace him with azhar ali who has a track record of poor captaincy

i agree that sarfraz will have to take a stand and should enforce his thought whether mickey likes or not, and shouldnt be timid about it

but what about PCB who has appointed mickey as the coach in the first place and is not prepared to make him acocuntable for poor performances consistently

enough can be deducted from here

 

[Macho Mann]

i am responsible for playing wahab riaz because junaid khan and hasan ali are similar players - Mickey Arthur

i prepared a plan but players couldnt execute - Mickey Arthur

so where is sarfraz to blame anyway now?

 

[Dr_Bassim]

i am responsible for playing wahab riaz because junaid khan and hasan ali are similar players - Mickey Arthur

i prepared a plan but players couldnt execute - Mickey Arthur

so where is sarfraz to blame anyway now?

It would have been better for Mickey Arthur to not accept that it was his decision and planning just like every other Pakistani coach who refused to accept responsibility.

Because he was humble enough to accept it, we can let Sarfraz walk away free, even though his captaincy was terrible throughout the game.

Being humble is a bad trait in Pakistan. It leads to calling for blood and sacking.

However, keeping quiet is admired, because then no one knows who is at fault and people can point their fingers at anyone who they like.

 

[New Yorker]

Gist of the thread.

Azhar fails = Misbah school of thought, sack him.

Sarfraz fails = not his fault, give him time, he will get better, Mickey is the real reason.

Moral of the thread.


When you like someone, any excuse is good enough to make that someone look next coming of Mike Brearly or Imran Khan as captaincy.

The argument would be, Azhar fails *over and over again* = Sack him

Sarfraz has so far manifestly failed as a captain in one match. He's got some way to go.

 

[Syed1]

Gist of the thread.

Azhar fails = Misbah school of thought, sack him.

Sarfraz fails = not his fault, give him time, he will get better, Mickey is the real reason.

Moral of the thread.


When you like someone, any excuse is good enough to make that someone look next coming of Mike Brearly or Imran Khan as captaincy.

Equating two years of constant failure with one match.

 

[Macho Mann]

It would have been better for Mickey Arthur to not accept that it was his decision and planning just like every other Pakistani coach who refused to accept responsibility.

Because he was humble enough to accept it, we can let Sarfraz walk away free, even though his captaincy was terrible throughout the game.

Being humble is a bad trait in Pakistan. It leads to calling for blood and sacking.

However, keeping quiet is admired, because then no one knows who is at fault and people can point their fingers at anyone who they like.

if wahab riaz was not selected by sarfraz then please tell us, who scripted him to come at what place and bowl which spell? if mickey wanted wahab to play than isnt it evident that mickey alo came up with a plan

if team is not selected by the captain then it is nothing but a scripted captaincy, you cant expect a captain to 'captain' when he doesnt have any say or control over which players to play in the game.

i have since the beginning quoted cricinfo article and mickey pre match press statement that it was all mickey at the helm of the affairs not sarfraz

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Equating two years of constant failure with one match.

I don't really want Azhar as captain.

I am just laughing at how "shouting" and "making gestures" makes people believe that the captain is positive and right person.

A short time ago, everyone thought Afridi would be the most aggressive captain for Pakistan.

Came out, he was just as defensive as the rest.

Who cares if Azhar ever gets captaincy again or not.

But I do care if Sarfraz performs miserably and his supporters are out to defend him.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

if wahab riaz was not selected by sarfraz then please tell us, who scripted him to come at what place and bowl which spell? if mickey wanted wahab to play than isnt it evident that mickey alo came up with a plan

if team is not selected by the captain then it is nothing but a scripted captaincy, you cant expect a captain to 'captain' when he doesnt have any say or control over which players to play in the game.

i have since the beginning quoted cricinfo article and mickey pre match press statement that it was all mickey at the helm of the affairs not sarfraz

So basically if Mickey accepts that he wanted Wahab and overruled Sarfraz (assuming he overruled Sarfraz and Sarfraz really wanted someone else) that means Sarfraz should sulk.

Means our captain gave up because one bowler was not of his choice.

Petulant captain right?

Gives up because things don't go to his plan.

Mopes?

Right choice?

Meh.

 

[Syed1]

I don't really want Azhar as captain.

I am just laughing at how "shouting" and "making gestures" makes people believe that the captain is positive and right person.

A short time ago, everyone thought Afridi would be the most aggressive captain for Pakistan.

Came out, he was just as defensive as the rest.

Who cares if Azhar ever gets captaincy again or not.

But I do care if Sarfraz performs miserably and his supporters are out to defend him.

Yes the shouting is annoying as hell and he hasn't displayed any of that "aggressive" traits we were promised, but when people say Sarfaraz is an aggressive captain they are basing it off of his performance as captain in the PSL and domestic cricket where Sarf was renowned to take chances and employ "out of the box" thinking. Unfortunately as has been the case with Pakistan cricket since the dawn of time, players are lions in domestics and kittens in internationals.

 

[Macho Mann]

So basically if Mickey accepts that he wanted Wahab and overruled Sarfraz (assuming he overruled Sarfraz and Sarfraz really wanted someone else) that means Sarfraz should sulk.

Means our captain gave up because one bowler was not of his choice.

Petulant captain right?

Gives up because things don't go to his plan.

Mopes?

Right choice?

Meh.

try to read what i have written before replying

 

[Dr_Bassim]

try to read what i have written before replying

Sarfraz is not to be blamed.

Mickey was controlling everything.

Rinse and repeat.

Anything else useful you have to add?

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Yes the shouting is annoying as hell and he hasn't displayed any of that "aggressive" traits we were promised, but when people say Sarfaraz is an aggressive captain they are basing it off of his performance as captain in the PSL and domestic cricket where Sarf was renowned to take chances and employ "out of the box" thinking. Unfortunately as has been the case with Pakistan cricket since the dawn of time, players are lions in domestics and kittens in internationals.

Yes, and then you wonder where the aggression went.

Because it's much easier to perform closer to home than perform in front of millions when the pressure and stakes are high.

Soft cricketers are the last thing we need.

I will give Sarfraz all the time he wants.

But I will criticize him if he takes bad decisions to awful decisions like in yesterday's match.

I won't bail out and blame Mickey and let Sarfraz hold a high flying Pakistan flag just because some people are against Mickey.

Truth is, this team is in tatters and no coach would have done anything different out of the players yesterday.

 

[Pete Rose]

Yes, and then you wonder where the aggression went.

Because it's much easier to perform closer to home than perform in front of millions when the pressure and stakes are high.

Soft cricketers are the last thing we need.

I will give Sarfraz all the time he wants.

But I will criticize him if he takes bad decisions to awful decisions like in yesterday's match.

I won't bail out and blame Mickey and let Sarfraz hold a high flying Pakistan flag just because some people are against Mickey.

Truth is, this team is in tatters and no coach would have done anything different out of the players yesterday.

Ppl who advocate for change of captaincy deserve to be pilloried every day unti Sarfaraz becomes the captain they hoped. We you end two years sniping about someone, logically there should be a sea change when a new captain comes.
We were told:
- he wont let the game drift
- he will be aggressive
- we will see a fight under him

i saw none of the above.
no i wait for ppl to misread this as, i am rooting for Azhar as captain.

 

[MRSN]

Yes, and then you wonder where the aggression went.

Because it's much easier to perform closer to home than perform in front of millions when the pressure and stakes are high.

Soft cricketers are the last thing we need.

I will give Sarfraz all the time he wants.

But I will criticize him if he takes bad decisions to awful decisions like in yesterday's match.

I won't bail out and blame Mickey and let Sarfraz hold a high flying Pakistan flag just because some people are against Mickey.

Truth is, this team is in tatters and no coach would have done anything different out of the players yesterday.

Very well said. Sarfraz as captain was awful and must get all criticism he deserves.

 

[daytrader]

Only a few weeks ago, Malik has made it clear he is not interested in captaincy in any form, domestic or international.

Next in line is Aamir whether we like it or not.

One of the reasons he provided is he doesn't have a free hand whether it's the PCT or at the Karachi Kings. If given complete control over the ODI team he would do wonders, just look at his record at the Stallions

 

[Macho Mann]

Yes, and then you wonder where the aggression went.

Because it's much easier to perform closer to home than perform in front of millions when the pressure and stakes are high.

Soft cricketers are the last thing we need.

I will give Sarfraz all the time he wants.

But I will criticize him if he takes bad decisions to awful decisions like in yesterday's match.

I won't bail out and blame Mickey and let Sarfraz hold a high flying Pakistan flag just because some people are against Mickey.

Truth is, this team is in tatters and no coach would have done anything different out of the players yesterday.

which sarfraz's decision cost us the match?

 

[Brainy sturdy]

People discussing his captaincy should first answer the question whether Sarfraz deserves to play in the team as a Odi batsman ? He has never played any match winning knock at number 6 . Look at his stats at the position he plays, he hardly ever has managed to play a decent knock . This team is a team of compromise , favoritism and personal likes and dislikes .Based on merit there are only few guys in this team who justify their position. Ageing players who have failed n number of times are repeatedly getting chances with hope that one day we will get a bradman out of them .It's not gonna happen . For me Sarfraz is a very good Test player a below average Odi batsman at number 6 and not a capable captain .

 

[Asif321]

Sarfraz is ruiding his career by his own hands .... he was doing brillant under other captains batting up the order. and now himself as captain he is batting at number where he is of no use .he should move to number 4 asap

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Much better Captaincy from Sarfraz uptil now.


I guess the pressure today is quite less compared to match against India.


Hope it stays so till the end of SA innings.

 

[Hamza_]

Much better Captaincy from Sarfraz uptil now.


I guess the pressure today is quite less compared to match against India.


Hope it stays so till the end of SA innings.

Shadab should have a bowl now.

 

[TalentSpotterPk]

Shadab should have a bowl now.

No.


Sneak in more overs from Imad & Hafeez. Both bowling v well atm.

 

[MRSN]

Was looking to save review instead pf taking a chance on mighty close shout.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

bring in more fielders in , time to squeeze and apply pressure..

 

[Speedster777]

He's way too defensive. Disappointing stuff

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Hope people now understand why Imad was given the new ball last match in the absence of Junaid. Was a good call and kind of worked too otherwise India would have been 70 for 0 rather than 46 for 0. These pitches are the least conductive for fast bowlers I have seen in some time.

 

[Macho Mann]

sarfraz is such a bad captain, why didnt he open with imad and hafeez

such a defensive captaincy

 

[Hamza_]

Why would you bowl out Hafeez full quota? Bowling leggy at death?

 

[Hamza_]

This guy is joke of a captain. Miller just hit Hafeez for another six

 

[MK7Z]

its not like hafeez was bowling amazingly yet shadab your front line spinner not going to bowl full quota yet part timer who didnt even bowl last game suddenly bowls 10. pure dumbness

 

[Kianig89]

Superb so far as per

 

[Mamoon]

He was poor against India and has been very good today. I don't see the problem with people criticizing him the other day and praising him today.

 

[Hamza_]

He was poor against India and has been very good today. I don't see the problem with people criticizing him the other day and praising him today.

Hafeez should have bowled maximum 6 overs.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

A captain will never think what 500 posters here think. He has his own plans and thinking and match situation on the field.

He captaincy tenure is fine. Give him time, he will deliver. Better than all other options we have. We are talking relative.

We cant dismiss teams for 100 every match. dosray bhi khelnay aye hain.

Hasan again showed he is an excellent middle and death overs bowler. Hasan cant bowl 20 overs.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Impatient Pakistanis need to understand that captaincy is something which requires time. We cant just change captain every other series. I heard 5 different captain names in last 2 days. Shows how poor Pakistans are when it comes to long term plans.

Lastly, leading this mediocre side (especially batting) is not easy.

 

[Macho Mann]

He was poor against India and has been very good today. I don't see the problem with people criticizing him the other day and praising him today.

no personality, no communication skills, cannot be a good captain, your own words dear

 

[JibranAnsari]

Someone needs to ask sarfraz why he didnt bowl hafeez at all in the last match and full quota today?

Was atrocious against india and today did the normal job.

 

[Mamoon]

no personality, no communication skills, cannot be a good captain, your own words dear

All of that is true, and it will continue to cost us against the serious teams. South Africa are bigger chokers than us, and we are looking good because we know we have a history of beating them in big games. Same team will be wilting under pressure against India, England and Australia.

There is no need of getting overexcited over beating a team that is worse than us under pressure. Nothing has changed, but Pakistani fans will be Pakistani fans. Everything falls into place after one good performance.

 

[Hamza_]

Bowling a leg spinner in last overs is pathetic.

 

[Macho Mann]

All of that is true, and it will continue to cost us against the serious teams. South Africa are bigger chokers than us, and we are looking good because we know we have a history of beating them in big games. Same team will be wilting under pressure against India, England and Australia.

There is no need of getting overexcited over beating a team that is worse than us under pressure. Nothing has changed, but Pakistani fans will be Pakistani fans. Everything falls into place after one good performance.

and south africa is not a 'serious' team

in which parallel universe do you dwell?

 

[Mamoon]

and south africa is not a 'serious' team

in which parallel universe do you dwell?

Not in the parallel universe where SA is a clutch team with ICC trophies in the cabinet.

SA are the biggest chokers in the game, and we have beaten them numerous times in pressure games. No matter how good they look on paper, they are always beatable and the cracks begin to show as soon as you put them on the back-foot. Our intensity against them is always different than our intensity against teams like Australia and India, because we know we can put them under pressure.

SA is not a serious team for me because one can guarantee with 100% certainty that they will choke under pressure in tournaments.

 

[Macho Mann]

Not in the parallel universe where SA is a clutch team with ICC trophies in the cabinet.

SA are the biggest chokers in the game, and we have beaten them numerous times in pressure games. No matter how good they look on paper, they are always beatable and the cracks begin to show as soon as you put them on the back-foot. Our intensity against them is always different than our intensity against teams like Australia and India, because we know we can put them under pressure.

SA is not a serious team for me because one can guarantee with 100% certainty that they will choke under pressure in tournaments.

what kind of pressure game was this match for south africa? they have already won the game and were not under threat of elimination, it was a pressure game for pakistan not otherwise

and south africa is no one ranking team in ODIs

one just needs a big heart to appreciate reality

 

[Mamoon]

what kind of pressure game was this match for south africa? they have already won the game and were not under threat of elimination, it was a pressure game for pakistan not otherwise

and south africa is no one ranking team in ODIs

one just needs a big heart to appreciate reality

No one cares about ODI rankings when you cannot perform in tournaments. It is a pressure match for SA because of the expectations. They are the top ranked team facing the bottom ranked team, and everyone expects them to win comfortably. They also know that they will be facing a better team next, so this is a great opportunity for them to seal a spot in the semifinals in case they slip up against India. The occasion clearly got to them and they have played nervous cricket so far.

I will appreciate Sarfraz if we something like this against teams like India, Australia and England.

 

[Hamza_]

Not bowling Hasan his quota?

 

[Macho Mann]

No one cares about ODI rankings when you cannot perform in tournaments. It is a pressure match for SA because of the expectations. They are the top ranked team facing the bottom ranked team, and everyone expects them to win comfortably. They also know that they will be facing a better team next, so this is a great opportunity for them to seal a spot in the semifinals in case they slip up against India. The occasion clearly got to them and they have played nervous cricket so far.

I will appreciate Sarfraz if we something like this against teams like India, Australia and England.

so you are saying that the top ranked team will feel 'pressure' facing a minnow team

great logic

 

[Cuts_and_cuts_hard]

Hasan has been the best bowler and he will not bowling his full quota of 10 overs. Absolutely dreadful captaincy.

 

[Mamoon]

so you are saying that the top ranked team will feel 'pressure' facing a minnow team

great logic

Of course, a top team is always under more pressure than a minnow team because they are expected to win. If the minnow loses, well they lost because they are a minnow, but when a top team loses, heads are rolled. Whenever teams like India, Australia and England play us, they are the ones under more pressure. However, unlike SA, they are able to overcome that pressure and demolish us.

 

[Macho Mann]

I will appreciate Sarfraz if we something like this against teams like India, Australia and England.

has been very good today

you already have, irony, that you cant change your posts

 

[Mamoon]

you already have, irony, that you cant change your posts

I don't see the irony. Please spell it out.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

Captain clueless leaves Hassan ali bowling only 8 overs...

 

[Macho Mann]

Hasan has been the best bowler and he will not bowling his full quota of 10 overs. Absolutely dreadful captaincy.

because he was dreadful at death bowling last time, cost us the game

 

[Hamza_]

because he was dreadful at death bowling last time, cost us the game

So what? Junaid got spanked by Miller as well. And what makes you think there'll be same result every day?

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Amir and Junaid bowled better than Hasan at death. Hassan was bowling short while Amir and Junaid bowled 75% yorkers. Again a correct decision. Now please get rid of Hafeez.

 

[mhraja]

Hassan is decent at the death, he was good in the last over today as well.

India match was exception.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Hassan is decent at the death, he was good in the last over today as well.

India match was exception.

This match Amir and Junaid were good. Tbh havent seen Pakistani bowlers so many good yorkers in a long time. Plus the reverse swing. Well done to amir and Juni.

 

[Abdullah]

Hassan is decent at the death, he was good in the last over today as well.

India match was exception.

Hasan should have bowled early to rabada . Would have cleaned him up or deceived him with a slower ball

 

[Macho Mann]

So what? Junaid got spanked by Miller as well. And what makes you think there'll be same result every day?

lol junaid got spanked?

you are just criticizing for the sake of criticizing

what happened to your beloved shadab which you were crying for earlier

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Hasan should have bowled early to rabada . Would have cleaned him up or deceived him with a slower ball

Yep but Hasan was tired at that time after 7 consecutive overs.

 

[CricVet]

Those who call to Lynch Sarfraz can't come up with one better name for being Pak Captain. I would say Malik but we have seen him as well being defensive. There is NO better option unfortunately.

 

[srh]

awesome captaincy today by Sarfraz

i think he needs a danda to stay focus and be a good captain; after the loss against India he gets a danda and now he is doing great; danda is the key

 

[smarmazhar]

Hassan should have bowled 10 overs not 8. Junaid could have bowled 7 instead on 9.Only glitch in captaincy today!Well done boys...Love Hassan Ali esp his celebrations!

 

[Macho Mann]

awesome captaincy today by Sarfraz

i think he needs a danda to stay focus and be a good captain; after the loss against India he gets a danda and now he is doing great; danda is the key

captain doesnt get danda but gives danda

 

[smarmazhar]

We have 7 bowlers.Front line.Amir,Hassan,Junaid, Shadab & 3 part timers in Imad,Hafeez & Malik..ample options for Safraz..Good team combination.Safraz now has to learn to bat in top order,earn some respect as captain amongst team mates by leading by example.That was how Dhoni proved himself and earned admiration

 

[Macho Mann]

game lost = entirely sarfraz's fault

game won = players played well

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Much better captaincy today.

A few chinks here and there but overall improved.

Pressure got to him last match?

Probably.

But he did well here.

 

[Abdullah]

Yep but Hasan was tired at that time after 7 consecutive overs.

No at the death 45the over ishraq when rabada came on

 

[Speedster777]

Good captaincy even Nasir Hussein highly praised him. The move to bring Hassan Ali into the attack was a masterstroke and turning point of the match.

 

[Xoib]

Bowling management by Sarfraz Ahmed

Am I the only one concerned about it.

He did not let Hassan complete his quota yesterday overbowled Hafeez in the middle overs when it was clear Miller had the measure off him. In the first game he went the other extreme with Hafeez by not giving him a single over this was after his first major blunder where he opened with Imad and kept bowling him.

He either over bowls a bower in a spell or under bowls them he just does not have the right feel when to make a change up this an area of captaincy he needs to improve the most.

 

[Destroyer88]

game lost = entirely sarfraz's fault

game won = players played well

Nicely summarised

 

[Destroyer88]

Much much better tactics today, after india's loss it would have been difficult to make a comeback of this sort agaisnt a no1 side. The only glitch i see was giving the 2 lefties an extended run in the end. Shadab could have been used a bit more than hafeez. But all in all he did well as a captain and the players showed spirit

 

[Destroyer88]

All of that is true, and it will continue to cost us against the serious teams. South Africa are bigger chokers than us, and we are looking good because we know we have a history of beating them in big games. Same team will be wilting under pressure against India, England and Australia.

There is no need of getting overexcited over beating a team that is worse than us under pressure. Nothing has changed, but Pakistani fans will be Pakistani fans. Everything falls into place after one good performance.

Not warranted mate,

 

[ExpressPacer]

This is why Sarfraz should NEVER in a million year be our Test captain because that would lead to all our bowlers getting injured, dehydrated and ending up in Dubai hospitals.

 

[Savak]

He will learn.

 

[srh]

Am I the only one concerned about it.

He did not let Hassan complete his quota yesterday overbowled Hafeez in the middle overs when it was clear Miller had the measure off him. In the first game he went the other extreme with Hafeez by not giving him a single over this was after his first major blunder where he opened with Imad and kept bowling him.

He either over bowls a bower in a spell or under bowls them he just does not have the right feel when to make a change up this an area of captaincy he needs to improve the most.

Problem is he has too many bowling options: Amir + Junaid + Hasan + Shadab + Hafeez + Imad + Malik. Thats 7 bowling options of which 4 are regular bowlers (Amir + Junaid + Hasan + Shadab) and 3 are non-regular bowlers (Hafeez + Imad + Malik).

Ideally the team should have 6 bowling options. So from among the 3 non-regular bowlers, Pakistan should drop 1 who is the weakest batsman and replace him with a pure batsman. For me Imad is the weakest batsman of them so Sarfraz & Mickey should drop him for Haris Sohail. But then both Hafeez and Malik are off spinners and so Pakistan will lose the left slow arm bowling variety. So it makes more sense to drop Hafeez for Haris Sohail. This will help Sarfraz in overs management.

 

[Slog]

he'll learn

 

[Noman]

It amazed me how bad Sarfraz is an understand change the bowlers. Shadab and Hasan should have bowled more overs.. Hafees needed a break in between but he let bowl Hafees bowl 10 overs. Need to change bowlers and try attacking with different ideas when the other team is under pressurre.. In my view Sa should have not scored more than 205 runs but Sarfraz bowling change was very average

 

[zeikz123]

i was at the ground at one stage he told hasan to bowl from the end junaid was bowling from but didnt tell junaid that he is not going to bowl so both hasan and junaid came in and then sarfraz is thinking and says ok junaid u continue lol... sarfraz really needs to buckle up and do proper planning

 

[Azlan Khan]

Lmao, he'll learn. What's the cry about?

Although, he should have stopped bowling Hafeez after 5 overs BUT, there were 2 lefties at the crease so I think that's why he went on with Hafeez.

Nothing wrong, had Hafeez gotten both lefties out, people would have still criticised Sarfaraz.