5 reasons why Sarfaraz Ahmed should not be sacked as Pakistan captain

There are legit reasons why the PCB should not wield the axe on the incumbent skipper just yet.

By Web Desk
July 22, 2019
Pakistan's failure to make the World Cup 2019 semi-finals has put captain Sarfaraz Ahmed under pressure. — Photo: AFP/File

Sarfaraz Ahmed faces a critical juncture this off-season. He is attempting to become the only second Pakistan captain since 1996 to still retain his captaincy post-World Cup.

Much has been said about how the Karachiite should be relieved of captaincy and some have even drawn up a list of potential replacements.

It calls for an argument in favour of the beleaguered skipper. Sarfaraz should not be sacked because:

Still the best option for captaincy

He is vocal, yells at his players and is hands-on, which is what works in Pakistan's cricket. Photo: AFP 

His numbers could be a little down, and he may not have won Pakistan any games recently, but he still is Pakistan’s best option for captaincy.

No other Pakistan player marshals their troops as well as Sarfaraz does. He is vocal, yells at his players and is hands-on. That style of captaincy is slightly dated in modern cricket but it works in Pakistan cricket, if for nothing else than the fact that we are light years behind the rest.

The only blot on his CV is his batting. He comes in late but has never been a late-innings slogger. It’s nothing he can’t remedy. All he needs to do is promote himself up the order, get some runs under his belt and boost his statistics a little.

Lack of replacements

Imam is too new and controversial, while Babar Azam is not a leader, leaving Sarfaraz to fill in the captain's shoes. Photo: AFP 

When Imran Khan left in 1992, there was Wasim Akram. When Akram was sacked in 1999, there was Waqar Younis. When Younis was sacked in 2003, there was Inzamam ... and so on. When captains are usually removed, there are equally capable replacements waiting in the wings.

Imad Wasim and Imamul Haq could be those replacements in 2020, 2021 or in years ahead but right now, in 2019, they are not ready. The entire argument against Sarfaraz is that he does not necessarily earn his place in the playing eleven. By that logic, how can Wasim be in contention when his own place in the side wasn’t guaranteed until recently? And what about the injury issues that always seems to plague him?

Imam is too new and controversial, while Babar Azam is not a leader. And that’s all the options that we have. To appoint a captain just because we are jonesing for action is a counterproductive tradition — one that should be abolished.

Was the World Cup 2019 campaign really even a failure?

Critics have made it out as if Pakistan were genuine title contenders who somehow achieved less than they were capable of at World Cup 2019. Photo: Reuters

Critics have made it out as if Pakistan were genuine title contenders who somehow achieved less than they were capable of at World Cup 2019. Pre-World Cup, no one thought they were going to go all the way.

All the experts were in agreement that England, India and Australia are a notch above the rest, and tipped the winner to emerge from that trio, which it did. It means that Pakistan, under Sarfaraz, did not underachieve but achieved pretty much what they were capable of. Why the clamour for his head, then?

The Greenshirts are currently the sixth-placed side in ICC's ODI rankings. They finished fifth at the World Cup and should have qualified for the semis had things gone their way even slightly. To lose our heads in such a situation makes no sense at all.

Pakistan’s most successful captain

No Pakistan captain ever, not even the great Imran Khan, has won more than one major ICC trophy — except for Sarfaraz. Photo: Reuters

No Pakistan captain ever, not even the great Imran Khan, has won more than one major ICC trophy — except for Sarfaraz. The Buffer Zone resident led Pakistan to victory at the Under-19 World Cup in 2006. Eleven years later, the seniors clinched the ICC Champions Trophy under his captaincy.

Statistically too, his winning percentage in ODIs stands at a healthy 56.52, which is better than both Imran Khan’s 55.92 and Misbahul Haq’s 53.48 — two of Pakistan’s most highly regarded captains.

You do not replace captains on the basis of one bad campaign when other statistical evidence is so overwhelmingly in his favour.

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