Sarfaraz Ahmed scared to bat up the order or not confident of his ability as a batsman?

[Mercurial]

He should either open or bench himself. He is useless in the lower order.

 

[CricVet]

Imagine dhoni instead of Sarfraz, no no no i am not even contemplating what would have happened.

Imagine Glichrist

 

[PakPremi]

10 RRR and the genious plays 32 ball 40. EION MORGAN vs SARFRAZ, thats where we lost

Why compare main batsman with wicketkeeper batsman. I know many wicket keeper batsmen in the world are much better than Sarfraz, but he is the best Pak have, just like our openers cannot give compete with many openers of other teams.

 

[Kroll]

The weak, inept and brainless bowling at the death was a bigger culprit for the loss than Sarfraz's innings. I don't care if you're Buttler or Chris Martin, you shouldn't be conceding 70+ runs in the last 5 overs.

 

[shaz619]

By far the most pathetic innings I have ever witnessed in the modern era from a so called leader, if Sarfraz has even a little bit of self respect he should give up his arm band and make way for Rizwan who is the superior cricketer. Sarfraz looks like a chip shop man not a cricketer and it was so humiliating to watch him bat, he didn't even try to win the game and was stuck in one gear throughout; in a situation like that you are expected to lead from the front, if this is what I have seen from him then Pakistan may as well not even show up for the WC games because they are already lost with a cowardly captain leading the team.

Can't bat
Can't keep
Can't captain

 

[shaz619]

Pakistan have a punchers chance because of Sarfraz, they are basically brawlers and brawlers always get found out when up against Technicians. England executed their plans so beautifully even when the chips were down, Sarfraz is the type of guy who is always hoping for a miracle every time he walks out on the pitch; such a damn shame because I feel like this team can do so much more but there is just no method to the madness sadly

 

[Abu_Hamza]

Still was striking at 140.... you are becoming the clown of the forum with each passing day. People point at you and say look at this loser.

What did it bring? If only he could have batted with more urgency. [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] is right. He called a spade a spade, thats it. His astute reading of the game on this forum is way above than many. Why are u taking his views personally ? Don't make ur opinion universal that ppl point at him and call him loser. Its just ur view. If u dont like his view, just ignore it. There are many on this forum who even dont know much about cricket but they too have their views and at times its laughable coz they are so childish and immature. Even [MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] has pointed it out that Sarfaraz played too slow. Now will u call him a clown too ? Imad coming before him might have seen a different result as he is a better striker of the cricket ball which is evident with his current form. This match was PAK's to lose. They were robbed by Sarfaraz.

 

[Zhasan]

Imagine dhoni instead of Sarfraz, no no no i am not even contemplating what would have happened.

Dhoni hasn't done jack outside of Asia...his hitting only come off on dead pancakes of India with 50 yard boundaries...

 

[Zhasan]

What did it bring? If only he could have batted with more urgency. [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] is right. He called a spade a spade, thats it. His astute reading of the game on this forum is way above than many. Why are u taking his views personally ? Don't make ur opinion universal that ppl point at him and call him loser. Its just ur view. If u dont like his view, just ignore it. There are many on this forum who even dont know much about cricket but they too have their views and at times its laughable coz they are so childish and immature. Even [MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] has pointed it out that Sarfaraz played too slow. Now will u call him a clown too ? Imad coming before him might have seen a different result as he is a better striker of the cricket ball which is evident with his current form. This match was PAK's to lose. They were robbed by Sarfaraz.

Spot on, he could have scored 373 all by himself in ten overs...

He did his job, when will Bhateej Sobers, Babar Bradman, Haris Lara, Asif Butler, Faheem Klusener and Imad Gilchrist going to step up. Or do they all have something in common that Sarfaraz doesn't have, hence the blind hate for him...

 

[Abu_Hamza]

Spot on, he could have scored 373 all by himself in ten overs...

He did his job, when will Bhateej Sobers, Babar Bradman, Haris Lara, Asif Butler, Faheem Klusener and Imad Gilchrist going to step up. Or do they all have something in common that Sarfaraz doesn't have, hence the blind hate for him...

He took the responsibility to come up the order , so he should have finished the game. He was provided a perfect platform to take PAK to victory. What else he needed ? This match was well within PAK's grasp. Asif did his job perfectly. Faheem failed. He is wasting a spot. Imad succumbed to pressure brought by Sarfaraz only. BABAR played a sensible knock when Fakhar was on song. Haris had an off day. This is where a captain has to play a captain's knock and lead by example instead of hoping for others to do it or leave just few runs for him to score..

 

[Arsalan Pro]

He is not a finisher and isn't of any use once the RRR gets above 8, he is a very good strike rotator and adds value at No. 4/5, but not below that.

All teams have some good spinners and he can milk them during the middle overs.

This should be our batting lineup:

Fakhar Zaman
Babar Azam
Haris Sohail
Sarfraz Ahmed
Mohammad Hafeez
Asif Ali
Imad Wasim

 

[Ahson8]

He cannot hit for his life but I don't blame him. He's selflessly pushed himself down the order for the betterment of the team and played to his limits. Imad should have come in before him as well.

On the contrary, I think he should have batted over Haris today. Could've taken the spinners on at that point.

 

[Zhasan]

He took the responsibility to come up the order , so he should have finished the game. He was provided a perfect platform to take PAK to victory. What else he needed ? This match was well within PAK's grasp. Asif did his job perfectly. Faheem failed. He is wasting a spot. Imad succumbed to pressure brought by Sarfaraz only. BABAR played a sensible knock when Fakhar was on song. Haris had an off day. This is where a captain has to play a captain's knock and lead by example instead of hoping for others to do it or leave just few runs for him to score..

When was the last time Haris had an on day and Pakistan won the match? Imad can't hit good pacers to save his life, he will come off against spinners and dibbly dobbler slow medium pacers, but he doesn't have any shots against good pace bowling. Asif didn't do his job, gave his wicket away at the worst time and when will he score a fifty in international cricket. Babar again failed to get a big score, especially when Fakhar took all the pressure off him and all he had to do was hang in there and play risk free cricket to the end.

Sarfaraz is least bit responsible for this loss.

 

[Mamoon]

Spot on, he could have scored 373 all by himself in ten overs...

He did his job, when will Bhateej Sobers, Babar Bradman, Haris Lara, Asif Butler, Faheem Klusener and Imad Gilchrist going to step up. Or do they all have something in common that Sarfaraz doesn't have, hence the blind hate for him...

Apart from Faheem, literally every player that you mentioned has performed more than Sarfraz since he became captain. Sarfraz has been hiding behind his teammates for far too long now. What sort of a leader is he?

He cannot hit so he hides behind tail-enders like Hasan and Amir, he cannot face the new ball so he hides behind the openers and Babar, he cannot play in the middle-order so he hides behind Haris, Hafeez and Malik. Why is he in the team if there is someone better than him for every role?

Is he only there for his wicket-keeping and captaincy which are not great anyway?

On the eve of the World Cup, he has suddenly had an epiphany that he should be batting at four or five in the World Cup. If that is the case, why didn't he bat their earlier? What sort of planning and strategy is this?

A captain who hides behind his teammates and takes almost no responsibility as a player is no leader. Look at other captains - Kohli, Morgan, Williamson, Faf, Smith/Finch, Holder etc. All of these players have something in common - they are amongst the best performers in their team and they inspire their teammates with the way they play the game. Sarfraz does nothing in his own capacity apart from doing the bare minimum with the gloves and shouting at players who perform better than him.

Along with Faheem, he is the worst player in the team and yet he is untouchable because of captaincy privileges. Also, the myth that he is the best wicket-keeper batsman in Pakistan was blown into pieces when Rizwan scored two hundreds in five ODIs against Australia, something that Sarfraz is not remotely capable of replicating at this point in his career.

If a captain cannot make the team - or is not a certainty for selection - without his captaincy, he should not be the captain in the first place.

Making the team on 100% merit and being among the best performers in the team is the first qualification of becoming a captain. Perhaps you can make an exception if a captain is not performing but is some sort of a tactical genius, but Sarfraz has been awful on that front as well. Our record in ODIs since 2018 is utterly embarrassing.

 

[Mamoon]

Sarfaraz claimed that he would bat at 4 or 5 in the World Cup, but today, he chickened out as usual and came to the crease at 6. What is the logic behind batting at 4 or 5 in the World Cup if you are not going to play there now, or didn't play there in the last two years?

What a great leader. This is absolute shambles. He hid behind tail-enders for two years before suddenly realising on the eve of the World Cup that he needs to bat at 4 or 5. This circus must end after the World Cup. I have never seen a more uninspiring and weak leader. Even Afridi, MoYo and Azhar did more as players when they were captains.

 

[Square Drive]

Apart from Faheem, literally every player that you mentioned has performed more than Sarfraz since he became captain. Sarfraz has been hiding behind his teammates for far too long now. What sort of a leader is he?

He cannot hit so he hides behind tail-enders like Hasan and Amir, he cannot face the new ball so he hides behind the openers and Babar, he cannot play in the middle-order so he hides behind Haris, Hafeez and Malik. Why is he in the team if there is someone better than him for every role?

Is he only there for his wicket-keeping and captaincy which are not great anyway?

On the eve of the World Cup, he has suddenly had an epiphany that he should be batting at four or five in the World Cup. If that is the case, why didn't he bat their earlier? What sort of planning and strategy is this?

A captain who hides behind his teammates and takes almost no responsibility as a player is no leader. Look at other captains - Kohli, Morgan, Williamson, Faf, Smith/Finch, Holder etc. All of these players have something in common - they are amongst the best performers in their team and they inspire their teammates with the way they play the game. Sarfraz does nothing in his own capacity apart from doing the bare minimum with the gloves and shouting at players who perform better than him.

Along with Faheem, he is the worst player in the team and yet he is untouchable because of captaincy privileges. Also, the myth that he is the best wicket-keeper batsman in Pakistan was blown into pieces when Rizwan scored two hundreds in five ODIs against Australia, something that Sarfraz is not remotely capable of replicating at this point in his career.

If a captain cannot make the team - or is not a certainty for selection - without his captaincy, he should not be the captain in the first place.

Making the team on 100% merit and being among the best performers in the team is the first qualification of becoming a captain. Perhaps you can make an exception if a captain is not performing but is some sort of a tactical genius, but Sarfraz has been awful on that front as well. Our record in ODIs since 2018 is utterly embarrassing.

All this is true, but we literally have no alternatives. We saw what happened when Malik captained. We saw what happened when Imad captained.

Making someone like Babar captain this close to the WC was definitely not on.

It's best we back Sarfraz for the WC. Rizwan's time will come, maybe as soon as after the WC. Sarfraz can do a decent job at #5. If he plays like he did today, he's fine. But in any case, we have to make do with what we have instead of complaining.

 

[Mamoon]

All this is true, but we literally have no alternatives. We saw what happened when Malik captained. We saw what happened when Imad captained.

Making someone like Babar captain this close to the WC was definitely not on.

It's best we back Sarfraz for the WC. Rizwan's time will come, maybe as soon as after the WC. Sarfraz can do a decent job at #5. If he plays like he did today, he's fine. But in any case, we have to make do with what we have instead of complaining.

Of course it is too late now. Sarfaraz did well at number 5 in 2016, and after taking over as captain in 2017, he should have continued to play in that position. However, he is past his prime now and he cannot excel in any position. He can knock the ball around at 4/5, but he is no longer capable of playing those big knocks. Haris and Rizwan are better options for 4 and 5 anyway.

He must go after the World Cup.

 

[Square Drive]

Of course it is too late now. Sarfaraz did well at number 5 in 2016, and after taking over as captain in 2017, he should have continued to play in that position. However, he is past his prime now and he cannot excel in any position. He can knock the ball around at 4/5, but he is no longer capable of playing those big knocks. Haris and Rizwan are better options for 4 and 5 anyway.

He must go after the World Cup.

This is one of the many problems that have been created due to us having to accomodate Hafeez & Malik at every cost.

Yes, if we have a bad WC campaign and his batting/captaincy are not upto the mark, he must be replaced by Rizwan.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

Sarfaraz claimed that he would bat at 4 or 5 in the World Cup, but today, he chickened out as usual and came to the crease at 6. What is the logic behind batting at 4 or 5 in the World Cup if you are not going to play there now, or didn't play there in the last two years?

What a great leader. This is absolute shambles. He hid behind tail-enders for two years before suddenly realising on the eve of the World Cup that he needs to bat at 4 or 5. This circus must end after the World Cup. I have never seen a more uninspiring and weak leader. Even Afridi, MoYo and Azhar did more as players when they were captains.

You are spot on with ur above two analaytical posts but I simply don't get this that why doesn't Mickey Arthur say him these things.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

He is not a finisher and isn't of any use once the RRR gets above 8, he is a very good strike rotator and adds value at No. 4/5, but not below that.

All teams have some good spinners and he can milk them during the middle overs.

This should be our batting lineup:

Fakhar Zaman
Babar Azam
Haris Sohail
Sarfraz Ahmed
Mohammad Hafeez
Asif Ali
Imad Wasim

I agree with this. He can milk the spinners and he is a very good strike rotator like Younus Khan. He should play at 4 or 5. But how Hafeez and Malik together will be accomodated in the playing 11 that will be a prob. for the team management.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

This is one of the many problems that have been created due to us having to accomodate Hafeez & Malik at every cost.

Yes, if we have a bad WC campaign and his batting/captaincy are not upto the mark, he must be replaced by Rizwan.

Hafeez will throw tantrum like Younus Khan if he isnt selected in the playing 11. His ego is way bigger. It will be a tough ask to play both of them together in the playing 11.

 

[aukhan]

He is either irresponsible, incompetent or both.

 

[aukhan]

No show from the captain again. Why is he even playing for Pakistan. He is a big liability...lets hope he has enough shame to resign after landing in Pakistan.

 

[MRSN]

No show from the captain again. Why is he even playing for Pakistan. He is a big liability...lets hope he has enough shame to resign after landing in Pakistan.

That's less gutless than what he told his team. Completely baffled by this strategy. Hopefully this clown will now get sacked finally.