Hailing wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed’s appointment as T20 captain, former cricket greats felt that the time has come to hand over reigns of national team’s stewardship in all formats to one man.
Former leg spinner Abdul Qadir praised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for handing over the T20 captaincy to Sarfraz. “I fully back the 1992 World Cup winning captain Imran Khan’s suggestion to give the captaincy of all three formats to one man and that Sarfraz can be a good captain,” he told media.
Qadir said Imran is that type of a player who will be remembered even after 100 years, therefore, his words matter a lot. He further expressed disappointment with former coach Waqar Younis and ex-T20I captain Shahid Afridi for not taking responsibility for the defeats in Asia Cup and World T20.
However, former captain Aamir Sohail said that PCB should not rush in making Sarfraz captain in all three formats. “I am not against giving him the captaincy, but the process should take place gradually,” he said while adding that everyone should let the 28-year-old settle down in the T20 format.
Speaking about Afridi’s future as a player in the team, the 1992 World Cup winning opener said that the selectors should first see whether he is fit or not and then treat him the way they want.
Read more: Shahid Afridi hails appointment of fighter Sarfraz Ahmed as new T20 captain
The 49-year-old also said he cannot understand why PCB is in a hurry to do all things quickly. “PCB should improve the domestic circuit first instead of appointing a new foreign coach,” said Amir. “The coach can only teach strategies to the players, but the talent comes up from the domestic level,” he said.
Former captain Rameez Raja said Sarfraz’s captaincy should also be extended to the ODI and Test formats. “Sarfraz was a natural choice for T20 captaincy and I believe he can learn a lot from the captaincy of Indian wicket-keeper and skipper MS Dhoni.”
The cricketer-turned-commentator said to avoid any uncertainty in the future, the cricket board should appoint the 28-year-old as the captain of the Test team as well, because he has heard that Test captain Misbahul Haq will assess his form before deciding to join the team for the England Series in July. “That being the case, the PCB should act swiftly and make Sarfraz Test captain too,” he said.
“Sarfraz gives his 100 per cent to the team and I have never seen him complain if his batting position has been changed or not. He has all the qualities and with time he will improve as a captain,” he said.
The 53-year-old went on to say that Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batsman needs to continue to focus on his keeping. “One hopes that the pressure of captaincy does not affect his skills,” he concluded.
Read more: Sarfraz has a brilliant cricketing mind, says Azhar Ali
It's welcome news but I fear Sarfraz will inherit the same problems that led to the doom of Afridi's captaincy. It's the grouping and cartelization within the dressing room. The true solution is to get rid of all 'ex-captains' in the team and give Sarfraz a fresh blood of players to work with.
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