[VIDEO] "We had planned to try out new things but it wasn't our day" : Sarfraz Ahmed

[Abdul]

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Sarfraz Ahmed speaking to the press

It was a big occasion and we had some youngsters playing so we missed a few chances because of that

If we had taken those 2 catches things may have been different

Mohammad Amir was hit on the shoulder but he is ok

We have made 2 changes to the team, Fakhar for Ahmed and Junaid Khan for Wahab Riaz

Rumman Raees will take Wahab's place once ICC approve

We played SA in WC 2015 and now we are playing them again tomorrow

They are good team and we will work out (our game plan) by looking at SA team combination

The mood in the squad has improved and even today we had a good discussion about the upcoming game

We hope to perform well in the upcoming 2 matches

The team combination was different before (so I played at 5) , but now we have M Hafeez so we are trying out a different team combination

There was no reason to not bowl Hafeez in India game apart from the fact that we had 2 overs from Malik and we got a wicket so there was no need

Then Virat Kohli came into bat and I immediately brought in my main bowlers as I didnt want him to settle down"

Rabada is a top bowler and we will be watching his videos and playing him according to a plan

We always planned to bowl first and restrict India if we won the toss

Our plan was always to bowl Imad with the new ball and whilst we did not get them out quickly, we were restricting them to around 5 runs an over until the 40th over

We could have easily restricted them to 270 but we bowled badly in the final overs

Fact is that you always look bad when things dont work according to plan

Fakhar Zaman will open alongside Azhar Ali as he is playing in place of Ahmed Shehzad

We have spoken to the guys and told that they should play their natural game and not feel too much pressure

We have to accept some of our tactical mistakes and it is possible that I will learn from these in the coming days

Depending on the conditions, we will use our fast-bowlers to bowl with the new ball

We had planned to try out new things but it wasnt our day

 

[todfod 11]

finally fakhar will get a game..

 

[Hamza_]

Thank God Rumman is sent and not Abbas.

 

[LegbreakGoogly]

so , yeah , so , yeah..... so we will do this , we will do that.... nothing you will do . you are a **** team.

 

[mmkextreme_1]

Need to give Fakhar a long run in the team, don't drop him after one match.

There is a reason the guy averages 50+ in List A cricket with a strike rate of 94-95.

 

[wasimjunior]

Youngsters felt the pressure but it was your heros wahab and hafeez who lost us the game.

Enough of this press conference rubbish

 

[Zeshan547]

It's hard to pick which is worse his English or his captaincy.

 

[Square Drive]

Insha'Allah Fakhar scores a 50+ and kicks Shehzad out for good.

 

[jnaveen1980]

He looks like a very meek guy with zero expression. Typically keepers gee up their players. He is also the captain. There is no productive interaction between him and other players. Nobody showed any desperation.

 

[Pete Rose]

Hafeez will cost pakistan tomorrow as well. but I understand their predicament. Inzi has given them a squad which forced them to play hafeez, malik, shehzad/azhar
so yeah, malik will also be rubbish tomorrow.

 

[Someone]

Im sorry but no chance against mighty SA team.

 

[superman]

Hafeez will cost pakistan tomorrow as well. but I understand their predicament. Inzi has given them a squad which forced them to play hafeez, malik, shehzad/azhar
so yeah, malik will also be rubbish tomorrow.

Well hafeez is playing as a batsman why not put harris sohail or fahim in instead of the great hafeez. There used to be this joke "angrezi main ghayrat ko kya kehte hain? Angrezi main ghatrat k koi lafz nahi kyon k angrezo main koi ghayrat nahi" but it applies to these freeloaders hafeez. Shezad, yk in Odis, asad shafiq in odis no shame whatsoever

 

[Pete Rose]

Well hafeez is playing as a batsman why not put harris sohail or fahim in instead of the great hafeez. There used to be this joke "angrezi main ghayrat ko kya kehte hain? Angrezi main ghatrat k koi lafz nahi kyon k angrezo main koi ghayrat nahi" but it applies to these freeloaders hafeez. Shezad, yk in Odis, asad shafiq in odis no shame whatsoever

i will bet anything that haris is not matchfit

 

[MenInG]

more quotes added in OP

 

[TeymurBlake]

Good changes have been made to the squad. Rumman coming is ideal as Abbas is not seen much in the LOI and Zaman coming is much better than Shehzad, hopefully he would rotate the strike more and be more aggressive. But I fear Rabada run rapid through with Tahir.

 

[King-Misbah]

Couple of worrying factors from interview above. I have quoted in speech marks.

1. "They are good team and we will work out (our game plan) by looking at SA team combination" - So why was the Pakistan team released for the match before looking at the South African team combinations. Shows lack of planning.

2. "There was no reason to not bowl Hafeez in India game apart from the fact that we had 2 overs from Malik and we got a wicket so there was no need" - This makes no sense considering the match situation. There was a need as India was dominating. This highlights the lack of match awareness on Sarfraz's behalf.

3. "Then Virat Kohli came into bat and I immediately brought in my main bowlers as I didnt want him to settle down" - No, you did not bring in your main bowlers. You persisted with spin bowlers. Is this guy lost?

4. "Our plan was always to bowl Imad with the new ball and whilst we did not get them out quickly, we were restricting them to around 5 runs an over until the 40th over" - This restriction business portrays defensive captaincy. Best way to restrict runs is by taking wickets.

 

[zyrus]

1. Dont need to announce your squad/plans one day before.
2. Even if I wanna see Fakhar in action, Shahzad would have fared well against SA's bowling attack.
3. Support your team, they're about to play an important match tomorrow.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Many posters are saying Hafeez is playing as a batsman. But he is NOT, Sarfraz never called on him to bowl. Mickey Arthur was surprised He said "I don't know why he is not bowling" Now sarfraz gave his own explaination. Truth is we are playing with only five batsmen + Sarfraz with five regular bowler plus Malik & Hafeez. Imad showed his class with the bat by getting out for a duck. We need to drop a bowler and get in an allrounder or a full Batsman. Hafeez and Malik can bowl 10 overs between them (But not Against India who play spin very well).

 

[Macho Mann]

Many posters are saying Hafeez is playing as a batsman. But he is NOT, Sarfraz never called on him to bowl. Mickey Arthur was surprised He said "I don't know why he is not bowling" Now sarfraz gave his own explaination. Truth is we are playing with only five batsmen + Sarfraz with five regular bowler plus Malik & Hafeez. Imad showed his class with the bat by getting out for a duck. We need to drop a bowler and get in an allrounder or a full Batsman. Hafeez and Malik can bowl 10 overs between them (But not Against India who play spin very well).

imad should be dropped for another pacer, imad is useless ODI bowler

rumman raees can be tried instead of imad

batting wont get any better with inclusion with one more batsman but a bowler may restrict the total

 

[PAKNeedThinker]

Thank God Rumman is sent and not Abbas.

yar kuch to akal se kam lo na ap log yarrrrrr its not seaming conditions even kumar from india and josh from aus cant seam or swing the ball so how can abbas will swing the ball

 

[Hamza_]

yar kuch to akal se kam lo na ap log yarrrrrr its not seaming conditions even kumar from india and josh from aus cant seam or swing the ball so how can abbas will swing the ball

Im saying it's good that Raees has been sent. I'm a fan of Rumman

 

[Gubol123]

I am watching his press conference for the first time. he comes across as a very very meek person. i don't know what makes others says he is aggressive captain. even while playing he looks more angry than aggressive. Also, more than aggressiveness one needs to be assertive. He hardly seems to know what he is saying. he needs lots of grooming and some personality development classes. if he is not comfortable he should get an interpreter and speak in whichever language he is comfortable with. I am sure no one will have any issues as long as he is communicating in some language, any language, in a proper way. i just hope he is good communicator in Urdu.

Good communication skills is a primary skill set for any leader in any field. if he is unable to communicate his thoughts, ideas, vision he will not make any difference.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

We have to accept some of our tactical mistakes and it is possible that I will learn from these in the coming days

Depending on the conditions, we will use our fast-bowlers to bowl with the new ball

A bit late for that now Einstein, it might have made more sense to use a fast bowler against India. You know...that team that plays spin rather well.

 

[Billy1999]

Sarfraz stop lying you brought Your top men when kohli had faced 20 balls that is enough for a player of kohli's ability.

Normally you here captains say 'we don't care about their weaknesses and strengths we will just concentrate on our game'
Sarfraz 'We will concentrate on there strengths and weaknesses to restrict them'
Stupid you don't need to base your game based on the opposition of course you can play an extra spinner or pacer depending on how good they play them but to base your game on the oppositions strengths and weaknesses is plain stupid because only they know how they play.
You should play to your strengths and try to narrow your weaknesses.
Sums up Pakistan cricket

 

[Sadevdesai]

To say that, " it wasn't our day " .... is total nonsense !!! Sort of implies that something other than our ability was in play !!!! We were hopelessly outclassed by a better Team and no matter how often we play them, with our present players, nothing will change. We will be lucky if beat Sri Lanka .... beating SA is out of question !!!!

 

[DRsohail]

it will be never ypur day when u pay hafeez for your friendship and wahab for your quota..

 

[The cricket enthusiast]

1. Dont need to announce your squad/plans one day before.
2. Even if I wanna see Fakhar in action, Shahzad would have fared well against SA's bowling attack.
3. Support your team, they're about to play an important match tomorrow.

just hope that they can defeat srilanka.
can they?

 

[ExplicitAI]

I will say that he is a brilliant T20 captain but for him to translate that success into ODI's is a bit of a tough ask, he'll eventually learn in time but obviously that India game hurt me and everyone here a lot. Just feel that the loss of Sharjeel has hurt us bad and us choosing the wrong players such as Hafeez, Wahab, Azhar and Shehzad.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Lack leadership ability. Can't speak well and does not look like a captain.

Time to look for another skipper.

 

[Friend786]

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sarfraz ahmed speaking to the press

it was a big occasion and we had some youngsters playing so we missed a few chances because of that

if we had taken those 2 catches things may have been different

mohammad amir was hit on the shoulder but he is ok

we have made 2 changes to the team, fakhar for ahmed and junaid khan for wahab riaz

rumman raees will take wahab's place once icc approve

we played sa in wc 2015 and now we are playing them again tomorrow

they are good team and we will work out (our game plan) by looking at sa team combination

the mood in the squad has improved and even today we had a good discussion about the upcoming game

we hope to perform well in the upcoming 2 matches

the team combination was different before (so i played at 5) , but now we have m hafeez so we are trying out a different team combination

there was no reason to not bowl hafeez in india game apart from the fact that we had 2 overs from malik and we got a wicket so there was no need

then virat kohli came into bat and i immediately brought in my main bowlers as i didnt want him to settle down"

rabada is a top bowler and we will be watching his videos and playing him according to a plan

we always planned to bowl first and restrict india if we won the toss

our plan was always to bowl imad with the new ball and whilst we did not get them out quickly, we were restricting them to around 5 runs an over until the 40th over

we could have easily restricted them to 270 but we bowled badly in the final overs

fact is that you always look bad when things dont work according to plan

fakhar zaman will open alongside azhar ali as he is playing in place of ahmed shehzad

we have spoken to the guys and told that they should play their natural game and not feel too much pressure

we have to accept some of our tactical mistakes and it is possible that i will learn from these in the coming days

depending on the conditions, we will use our fast-bowlers to bowl with the new ball

we had planned to try out new things but it wasnt our day

lol

 

[Tera Gawaandi]

Sarfraz will go down as worst Pakistani captain.

 

[clean n cool]

Hafeez still playing and Sarfraz saying he won't play up the order cz Hafeez Bhai is there ..... Fahim should have been played instead of hafeez!

 

[Speedster777]

disappointing stuff

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Thank God Rumman is sent and not Abbas.

Abbas will be better as he can swing both ways and might be useful... anyways both of them will not get a game... if Abbas was selected then that would tempted them to use him as a trump card as he can swing the new ball...

 

[adi_62941]

I do not understand why our players are so weak in communication. Even Misbah having masters degree was not very good speaker and communicator..

I have worked with indians, they have really great communication skills and can deliver their thoughts easily and perfectly to others...

 

[Markhor]

Lack leadership ability. Can't speak well and does not look like a captain.

Time to look for another skipper.

After 4 ODIs as skipper ?

Who cares how he looks.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Our plan was always to bowl Imad with the new ball and whilst we did not get them out quickly, we were restricting them to around 5 runs an over until the 40th over

Fantastic kaptaan.... would like to know how their brains are made of....

fakhar zaman will open alongside azhar ali as he is playing in place of ahmed shehzad

see this as a blessing for shehzad to not face rabada... if fakhar gets a duck or single figures against SA... shehzad will play against SRL make a 35(42) and will book his place for the next series...

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

I believe generally Malik is underbowled in ODIs. He rarely goes for much in his usual 2-3 overs but captains then pass the ball on to...Wahab.

 

[MRSN]

Couple of worrying factors from interview above. I have quoted in speech marks.

1. "They are good team and we will work out (our game plan) by looking at SA team combination" - So why was the Pakistan team released for the match before looking at the South African team combinations. Shows lack of planning.

2. "There was no reason to not bowl Hafeez in India game apart from the fact that we had 2 overs from Malik and we got a wicket so there was no need" - This makes no sense considering the match situation. There was a need as India was dominating. This highlights the lack of match awareness on Sarfraz's behalf.

3. "Then Virat Kohli came into bat and I immediately brought in my main bowlers as I didnt want him to settle down" - No, you did not bring in your main bowlers. You persisted with spin bowlers. Is this guy lost?

4. "Our plan was always to bowl Imad with the new ball and whilst we did not get them out quickly, we were restricting them to around 5 runs an over until the 40th over" - This restriction business portrays defensive captaincy. Best way to restrict runs is by taking wickets.

Welcome to street smart most agressive captain?

 

[MRSN]

Lack leadership ability. Can't speak well and does not look like a captain.

Time to look for another skipper.

It's very important for a team to have an inspiring captain who can lead from the front who can walk the talk. I'm sure if Sarfraz asks any player why he failed. He can ask him the same question. All the hype mr. Sarfraz got is falling apart as he is getting exposed by every passing game.

 

[zyrus]

just hope that they can defeat srilanka.
can they?

1. Srilanka is worse than Pakistan these days.
2. We played that horribly as the combination was not set, expect better performance from Pakistan tomorrow.

 

[Pete Rose]

New dawn, new day.
Start afresh - here's hoping that the team rallies behind the captain tomorrow.

 

[Syed1]

New dawn, new day.
Start afresh - here's hoping that the team rallies behind the captain tomorrow.

95% chance it will be like what we witnessed against India.

 

[Pete Rose]

95% chance it will be like what we witnessed against India.

I am not going to reconcile what my heart wants vs. what my head says. I would stop watching if I listened to my head all the time.
We should rightly criticize and be frustrated, but these dark days will pass. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year.

 

[Macho Mann]

i dont think rookie iftekhar will play any special

 

[Mamoon]

After reading through the whole transcript, I have to say the incoherence is comical. Ladies our gents, our captain.

After 4 ODIs as skipper ?

Who cares how he looks.

I think I do. A captain needs a certain profile and carries an aura with him, and we have legacy of such folks leading the team. I don't expect teams to take us seriously with the short, chubby Sarfraz who does not radiate any confidence and personality and neither does he have any communication skills. On top of that, he has no standing in world cricket. Basically a long lost brother of Mushfiq, a complete nobody masquerading as "captain".

Having said that, and I have to say this with a heavy heart, he is the only viable option for captaincy at this point because he is one of our better players and among the very few who merit a place in all three formats. It is quite a depressing reality of Pakistan cricket that we do not have a single cricketer in the country who fits the profile of a captain that we had in the past or that other teams look for today, i.e. elite player, imposing persona, good communication skills, respect among opposition, or at least a combination of the above.

The fact that we have gone from Kardar, Imran, Miandad and Wasim to someone like Sarfraz says everything that needs to be said about the state Pakistan cricket finds itself right now.

While I understand the unabated support for him as captain in these harrowed times, it is important that we are able to appreciate the fact that it has absolutely nothing to do with his non-existent individual credentials as captain.

 

[MRSN]

After reading through the whole transcript, I have to say the incoherence is comical. Ladies our gents, our captain.



I think I do. A captain needs a certain profile and carries an aura with him, and we have legacy of such folks leading the team. I don't expect teams to take us seriously with the short, chubby Sarfraz who does not radiate any confidence and personality and neither does he have any communication skills. On top of that, he has no standing in world cricket. Basically a long lost brother of Mushfiq, a complete nobody masquerading as "captain".

Having said that, and I have to say this with a heavy heart, he is the only viable option for captaincy at this point because he is one of our better players and among the very few who merit a place in all three formats. It is quite a depressing reality of Pakistan cricket that we do not have a single cricketer in the country who fits the profile of a captain that we had in the past or that other teams look for today, i.e. elite player, imposing persona, good communication skills, respect among opposition, or at least a combination of the above.

The fact that we have gone from Kardar, Imran, Miandad and Wasim to someone like Sarfraz says everything that needs to be said about the state Pakistan cricket finds itself right now.

While I understand the unabated support for him as captain in these harrowed times, it is important that we are able to appreciate the fact that it has absolutely nothing to do with his non-existent individual credentials as captain.

Above all he has no clue what he is talking about. At least he should be confident and make sense what he is saying. That Kohli comment boggles my mind.He makes Azhar look a very good captain.

 

[Macho Mann]

MRSN who has so much clue used to back shoaib malik if im correct?

the captain gets confidence when he had bowlers he can be confident of wicket taking

you cannot be an attacking team without wicket taking bowlers

amir bowled quite a large number of overs when he opened and he didnt get one single wicket

hasan did come later but then again, no wickets

you cant blame the captain, if your inexpereinced bunch of untested rookies who have not even been tested in domestic circuit are recruited in the team and dont perform or take wickets

 

[Macho Mann]

really surprised that all these critiques of sarfraz trying to make him zero are not asking why hasan ali produced terrible deliveries at the death overs, hasan ali is just an overrated bowler who is at best mediocre

and yes he will remain mediocre

good domestic circuit tested bowlers must be added in the team and not 18 or 17 years olds who have only played few domestic games

 

[adil_909]

"Hafeez bhai" needs to go...ASAP

 

[Abdullah719]

really surprised that all these critiques of sarfraz trying to make him zero are not asking why hasan ali produced terrible deliveries at the death overs, hasan ali is just an overrated bowler who is at best mediocre

and yes he will remain mediocre

good domestic circuit tested bowlers must be added in the team and not 18 or 17 years olds who have only played few domestic games

Hasan Ali is 23 years old, not 18. And he's now played 100 matches in domestic and international cricket, hardly a toddler.

He was going for yorkers and missed the length by a few inches which is crucial against set batsmen. It happens to the best of bowlers.

But I guess we should recall Sami, Gul and Tanvir.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

really surprised that all these critiques of sarfraz trying to make him zero are not asking why hasan ali produced terrible deliveries at the death overs, hasan ali is just an overrated bowler who is at best mediocre

and yes he will remain mediocre

good domestic circuit tested bowlers must be added in the team and not 18 or 17 years olds who have only played few domestic games

What is role of captain?

 

[hisham_ashraf]

Give this guy some time,alright I agree that his captaincy was poor against India but he is the best we have right now,he failed in one match as a captain not in 10-20 matches like Azhar did I his time as a captain.

 

[kingusama92]

Does he think we didn't watch the match?

Kohli faced spin (Shadab + Imad) when he walked in. Those were your 3rd and 5th bowling options respectively. After he got settled in and has put up 21 runs, Amir started to bowl but it was too late.

Also disagree about the youngsters bit. It was the senior players who cost the game (Shahzad, Hafeez, Azhar, Sarfraz himself).

 

[Macho Mann]

Hasan Ali is 23 years old, not 18. And he's now played 100 matches in domestic and international cricket, hardly a toddler.

He was going for yorkers and missed the length by a few inches which is crucial against set batsmen. It happens to the best of bowlers.

But I guess we should recall Sami, Gul and Tanvir.

i find no difference between gul and hasan ali honestly

gul still got wickets but hasan ali is good for nothing

 

[Abdullah719]

i find no difference between gul and hasan ali honestly

gul still got wickets but hasan ali is good for nothing

I hope you're watching him bowl right now.

 

[Macho Mann]

I hope you're watching him bowl right now.

in the heat of moment said that due to some people criticising sarfraz's captaincy

didnt want to say mediocre but inexperienced, thats what i have been commenting in all other threads

bowled some good wicket taking deliveries and variations but is not good with the line and length, probably due to his height

 

[Markhor]

It's hard to pick which is worse his English or his captaincy.

He looks like a very meek guy with zero expression. Typically keepers gee up their players. He is also the captain. There is no productive interaction between him and other players. Nobody showed any desperation.

Lack leadership ability. Can't speak well and does not look like a captain.

Time to look for another skipper.

Sarfraz will go down as worst Pakistani captain.

Welcome to street smart most agressive captain?