Pakistan failed to qualify for the semi-finals at the marquee event- ICC Cricket World Cup, and former pacer Shoaib Akhtar feels skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed should be removed from the leadership role. Pakistan finished fifth in the points table with 11 points- equal with New Zealand but with an inferior run-rate.
Shoaib Akhtar slams Sarfaraz the skipper
“He (Sarfaraz) should be used for his wicket-keeping and batting skills,” Akhtar said in a video put on his YouTube channel. “No way should he continue as captain of the team. He should not be the captain in any format.”
According to the ex-speedster, Haris Sohail should be entrusted with the key role of captaincy in the white-ball format. Whereas Babar Azam should take over the Test captaincy.
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“Haris Sohail should be made the captain. He should captain the side in ODIs and T20Is. They should test him (Babar Azam) in Test cricket. I wish him the best. He has scored a lot of runs,” he said.
The current PM looks to reform Pakistan cricket
The current Prime Minister of Pakistan-World Cup winner Imran Khan had expressed his concerns over putting a process in place for Pakistan cricket. Interestingly, ahead of the key clash against arch-rivals India, Imran had suggested Sarfaraz to bat first in case he wins the toss. To everyone”s surprise, Sarfaraz elected to field and ended up losing yet another tie against Virat Kohli”s men.
“After the World Cup, I have decided that I will improve this Pakistan team. I am going to reform Pakistan cricket,” said Imran while addressing a crowd consisting of Pakistani-Americans at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington DC on July 21.
Sarfaraz had briefed the media post Pakistan”s exit from the global event. He urged the media and fans not to press the panic button and added that the team didn”t deserve such criticism.