Sarfraz Ahmed's captaincy is yet to be tested

[super hitter]

Sarfraz Ahmed, Pakistan's new T-20I captain has so far been a joy to watch out for with back to back wins but my gut feeling says that his real test for captaincy is yet to come.

Looking at Sarfraz's brilliant captaincy records in the recent past, one cannot question his leadership skills at any cost, However, a lot of facts can be unveiled at the same time.

1)He's got great support from the bowlers (though credit should be given to him as well for utilizing them in the best way possible)

2)Pakistan is known for collapsing when chasing bigger targets, however, this test is yet to be tested and it will be a treat to watch out for that what is going to be his approach towards chasing high targets.

3)So far, he hasn't faced a strong competitor, the west indies side i.e the world champions have a selected the worst possible XI by excluding Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Andre Russell etc.

So I personally think that the tough side of his captaincy is yet to be disclosed...Agree?

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Your "gut feeling' is comprehensive. We the Pakistani cricket fans just can't accept our team being consistent.

So, we hamster our brains to find excuses. I realized that during recent tour to England.

That said, Sarfaraz is arguably the #1 test wicket keeper in all formats. Feel proud. He is tried and tested skipper at lower levels, so winning 3 straight games ain't a fluke

 

[FreakCricket]

Sarfraz Ahmed, Pakistan's new T-20I captain has so far been a joy to watch out for with back to back wins but my gut feeling says that his real test for captaincy is yet to come.

Looking at Sarfraz's brilliant captaincy records in the recent past, one cannot question his leadership skills at any cost, However, a lot of facts can be unveiled at the same time.

1)He's got great support from the bowlers (though credit should be given to him as well for utilizing them in the best way possible)

2)Pakistan is known for collapsing when chasing bigger targets, however, this test is yet to be tested and it will be a treat to watch out for that what is going to be his approach towards chasing high targets.

3)So far, he hasn't faced a strong competitor, the west indies side i.e the world champions have a selected the worst possible XI by excluding Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Andre Russell etc.

So I personally think that the tough side of his captaincy is yet to be disclosed...Agree?

andre russell is a doper thats why he is not included, i feel like only darren sammy could have made a little difference!

 

[super hitter]

Your "gut feeling' is comprehensive. We the Pakistani cricket fans just can't accept our team being consistent.

So, we hamster our brains to find excuses. I realized that during recent tour to England.

That said, Sarfaraz is arguably the #1 test wicket keeper in all formats. Feel proud. He is tried and tested skipper at lower levels, so winning 3 straight games ain't a fluke

Not even for a second did I try to underestimate his recent records; the truth is said to be truth looking at the facts.

 

[LowKiiSavage]

LOL. Like beating the world champions wasnt enough of a 'test'. )

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Agreed. But he's got what it takes.

 

[Pete Rose]

Well, you'd rather be the captain of a team that dominates to such an extent that you are barely tested.
That would be like saying that Australia were barely tested by Pakistan from 1999 to 2014.

 

[goran]

Sarfaraz is the real deal. He is the sort of captain that we've been missing for ages. Winning back-to-back series against the current T20 champions and the runner-ups can hardly be called a fluke. It's just a matter of time that he becomes the captain in all 3 formats.

 

[Zohaib Shah]

He was tested against England. There was a point where they were cruising. His one decision changed the course of the match. That first win was no fluke. Pakistan actually had to fight for it.

 

[super hitter]

lol. Like beating the world champions wasnt enough of a 'test'. )

point no. 3 IN THE OP

 

[aukhan]

1)He's got great support from the bowlers

hahahaha what a joke. These same bowlers were available to Afridi and we all remember the result.

 

[Zohaib Shah]

Also the reason why he never got tested against big scores is due to great captaincy.

 

[AlphaFighter]

I think he did a good job in the T20 in England, West Indies have been poor but you can just tell by his body language, the fresh energy with which the team is playing that this guy should be leading the team in all formats compared to Azhar Ali, just looks like a natural leader. Would be a waste to under utilize him any further.

 

[super hitter]

1)He's got great support from the bowlers

hahahaha what a joke. These same bowlers were available to Afridi and we all remember the result.

I wonder why didn't you quoted the whole sentence...

this point in itself has a lot to say...make them bowl on the flat pitches and then see the difference in the results...you really can't make 8 and 9 wicket wins over their with the same batting lineup even.

 

[super hitter]

I think most of the posters here are posting without reading the OP; I never criticized him for what he has done, instead appreciated him!

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Also the reason why he never got tested against big scores is due to great captaincy.

they need reason to whine about... let them...

 

[aloo paratha]

#2 is a joke. The captain only controls himself while batting.

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

He should improve his power hitting.

 

[ethan hunt]

How often does Gayle come off against international.bowlers these days for him to have made a decisive difference ??

Lol sarfraz has done well . This is the first t20 series defeat for the WI since 2014 .
Its not even about the results . Its the energy that we have seen in the first 4 matches thats very impressive as opposed to Azhar leading pakistan to 3 defeats in Bangladesh and not improving at all since

 

[Saj]

What he has been asked to do he has done well.

Yes he's made one or two mistakes but they haven't cost Pakistan the match.

So far so good.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

He should improve his power hitting.

What limits him greatly is that there is no gap between his hands and blade. That reduces leverage therefore shortening the bat swing.

 

[Zaz]

How often does Gayle come off against international.bowlers these days for him to have made a decisive difference ??

Lol sarfraz has done well . This is the first t20 series defeat for the WI since 2014 .
Its not even about the results . Its the energy that we have seen in the first 4 matches thats very impressive as opposed to Azhar leading pakistan to 3 defeats in Bangladesh and not improving at all since

This isn't the same WI team in personel or in effort for example to the ones that have t20 world cups

Yes its an achievement to 3-0 but lets keep it in perspective, this was one of the worst displays ive seen by an opposition in a long time

Tougher tests will come, if he can repeat his success over a larger timescale and no of games then you can say the boys the real deal

 

[Oneking]

What limits him greatly is that there is no gap between his hands and blade. That reduces leverage therefore shortening the bat swing.

Plz leave him alone he is smart cricketer doesn't need to be a power hitter

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Plz leave him alone he is smart cricketer doesn't need to be a power hitter

This isn't about power hitting. He's never going to become one. I'm merely saying that he's limiting himself.

 

[LowKiiSavage]

point no. 3 IN THE OP

Stop undermining him. We all know the play here.

 

[Square Drive]

Lol yeah, he's Pakistani, so he must've done at least something wrong, or he hasn't been tested yet, or the opposition was this and that, etc. etc.

If this was some Kohli/Smith/KW, he'd be hailed as the next bing thing after winning 4/4.

Sickening.

 

[MMHS]

Sarfraz Ahmed, Pakistan's new T-20I captain has so far been a joy to watch out for with back to back wins but my gut feeling says that his real test for captaincy is yet to come.

Looking at Sarfraz's brilliant captaincy records in the recent past, one cannot question his leadership skills at any cost, However, a lot of facts can be unveiled at the same time.

1)He's got great support from the bowlers (though credit should be given to him as well for utilizing them in the best way possible)

2)Pakistan is known for collapsing when chasing bigger targets, however, this test is yet to be tested and it will be a treat to watch out for that what is going to be his approach towards chasing high targets.

3)So far, he hasn't faced a strong competitor, the west indies side i.e the world champions have a selected the worst possible XI by excluding Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Andre Russell etc.

So I personally think that the tough side of his captaincy is yet to be disclosed...Agree?

I think, he has done really well so far. No. 1 & No. 2 are redundant actually, because, the intensity & aggression shown by the same bowlers under other recent Captains were different.

There was never a case of No. 2; but the ease that the team chased, I don't think there was ever a chance of collapse. Scoreboard pressure may be, but that was taken care of while bowling.

No. 3 has some merit, but again the ease that PAK won all 4 games, actually indicates that, team had 25%-35% left in tank. Also, 1st T20 was against the Poms at their home & they had a great start. To his credit Sarfy & his bowlers pulled a possible 200 target to 140 level.

It's a good start. Since Umar doesn't want to keep, there is absolutely no question of Sarfu's inclusion in the team. For a busy player like him, one doesn't need to blast every ball. These are smambolic wickets for T20, otherwise, only time he batted as Captain, he batted really well - easily could have finished with 70 of 40 on a standard T20 wicket.

But yes, we'll know better when he leads against Ind, SAF, AUS & NZ in T20.

 

[Hasan123]

Brilliant start so far only complaint I have is that sometimes in the middle overs he is quick to put the fielders back but it's understdable in a T20.

Good start shouldn't be long before he is 50 over captain even though I am a big Azhar fan.

 

[New Yorker]

Your "gut feeling' is comprehensive. We the Pakistani cricket fans just can't accept our team being consistent.

So, we hamster our brains to find excuses. I realized that during recent tour to England.

That said, Sarfaraz is arguably the #1 test wicket keeper in all formats. Feel proud. He is tried and tested skipper at lower levels, so winning 3 straight games ain't a fluke

I see your point but am not sure if I could tell the difference as per your argument between 'being tested' and 'being mediocre.' Azhar is 'tested' as a captain and batsman in every ODI game because he makes everything look hard.

On paper the Windies team that came here was excellent. Worlds best T20 middle order, as the commentators noted, Narine and Badree the world top T20 spinners. No doubt the Windies have cause to feel dispirited, but whitewashing them, and by very comfortable margins in every game, is no mean feat. If we had beat South Africa instead people would be complaining that we were not tested by a quality side like Windies or England.

Speaking of which, its 4 straight games.

 

[The_Odd_One]

The main problem with Afridi was poor team selection. He did not play any spinner in India. Sarfraz has picked better playing XI and used his bowlers well which Afridi also failed to do.

However, there is still room for improvement in batting order but I am sure with time he will get it sorted out too.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Imad Wasim has made sure he is yet to be tested in every game he's captained so far.

He's passionate and is a fighter, this is clear to see.

 

[super hitter]

Just don't understand the point of many PPer's posting here, Like when did I said Sarfraz is mediocre etc etc.

The real deal is that his abilities have not been tested yet and that sit.

We've only played 4 one sided t-20's without any pressure involving situations and many on this forum have already made him an Imran Khan or Inzamam.

I never did undermine his abilities but lets wait for the next T-20 series and i'll comeback with this thread...Hope so I don't cause everyone wants this unbiased guy to lead the team.

 

[super hitter]

Stop undermining him. We all know the play here.

???

 

[super hitter]

This isn't the same WI team in personel or in effort for example to the ones that have t20 world cups

Yes its an achievement to 3-0 but lets keep it in perspective, this was one of the worst displays ive seen by an opposition in a long time

Tougher tests will come, if he can repeat his success over a larger timescale and no of games then you can say the boys the real deal

and thats my point

 

[Hawkeye]

Yes, OP is right.

We're getting a bit carried away. That's how cricket is, sometimes as a captain you get lucky, while others can go very unlucky.

The pitches and our spinners in the UAE have masked our deficiencies so far, add to it a weak opposition who's just clueless against low, slow spin pitches.

Besides, when your batsmen + bowlers are doing well, taking advantage of conditions or whatever, you're not put in a testing position. And T20s are too short anyway to judge anything, mere 20 overs.

You all know I've supported Sarfraz, but it's also a fact he hasn't been tested yet.

 

[JibranAnsari]

He has done well but that's quite true that he hasn't been tested much yet. Games against newzealand will be a real test I reckon. So far so good , long may it continue.

 

[Salman CricBio]

andre russell is a doper thats why he is not included, i feel like only darren sammy could have made a little difference!

True. Gayle has got a poor record against Pakistan.

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

Plz leave him alone he is smart cricketer doesn't need to be a power hitter

He should be a power hitter, if he continues to be an accumulator, then Rizwan will replace him very soon.

 

[The Last Of The Stars]

What limits him greatly is that there is no gap between his hands and blade. That reduces leverage therefore shortening the bat swing.

Good observation, coach.

 

[New Yorker]

He has done well but that's quite true that he hasn't been tested much yet. Games against newzealand will be a real test I reckon. So far so good , long may it continue.

Why NZ all of a sudden?

If he does well in NZ the real test will be vs Aus. Then India. Then Windies again, with different players. On a different kind of pitch. On and on.

It's like the inverse of the argument that is made for Rahat and Wahab by their fans.

Maybe they have been mediocre so far in their careers but in England they will be unplayble.

Oh I guess not well then in Australia they will be unplayable. Etc etc.

Success is always over the horizon for the eternal fan, and failure for the eternal critic.

Sarfraz *has been tested* because every single match is a test of a captain.

And *so far* he's passed with flying colours.

To say otherwise is to loose sight of what it is that a good leader does.

He makes success feel natural.

 

[super hitter]

This guy is exceptional, full captaincy material

 

[super hitter]

This guy is exceptional, full captaincy material

Yes Yes Yes...

played against stupid teams to boost his records.

He is a good captain, but this series (T-20's included), he has made some big mistakes.

He doesn't let his own bowlers to settle and keep changing them like the Ghargut changes its rang.

 

[Pollack]

Sarfaraz Ahmed : India is afraid to play against Pakistan.
) ))

 

[super hitter]

Today was easily the best day as a captain for Sarfi, took glorious decisions.

 

[nam]

Today was easily the best day as a captain for Sarfi, took glorious decisions.

Absolutely.. like when he got a slip in for shadab when bairstow was looking to move on and the very second ball goes to slip only to burst out of imad's hands.. that was genious even commentators acknowledged that..