Published 12:28 IST, October 19th 2019
Sarfaraz Ahmed had chance to step down but refused to, say sources
Sarfaraz Ahmed had the chance to make a graceful exit as PCB had advised him to step down as captain in all three formats but he refused to do so, say sources
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Sacked Sarfaraz Ahmed had the chance to make a graceful exit as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had advised him to step down as captain in all three formats but the wicketkeeper-batsman turned down the suggestion. According to highly-reliable sources, when Sarfaraz met with the Board CEO, Wasim Khan on Friday in Lahore he was asked to step down having led the national team in all three formats since 2017. "Sarfaraz flatly refused to do this and told Wasim the Board could sack him if they wanted but he would not step down himself," the PCB source said.
Sarfaraz Ahmed was offered graceful exit but chose not to
The source added Sarfaraz would also not be part of Pakistan's T20 or Test squads for the Australia tour as head coach-chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has now decided to give a chance to wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Rizwan. The source said Wasim Khan had assured Sarfaraz he could make a comeback to the national team when he regained full form. PCB Chairman, Ehsan Mani has said that it was a difficult decision to remove Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain in all three formats. In a PCB statement, Mani said that the decision to remove him was taken because of his lack of confidence and poor performance. "The decision was a difficult one but taken in the best interest of Pakistan cricket," Mani said.
Sarfaraz Ahmed sacked from Test and T20I captaincy
The PCB decided to sack Sarfaraz Ahmed from the captaincy of the game's longest as well as the shortest format. Azhar Ali will now lead Pakistan in Tests while Babar Azam has been named the new T20I skipper. Babar is currently the top-ranked T20I batsman while the Men In Green are the number one T20I team in ICC rankings. Ahmed, who was appointed as Pakistan's T20I captain after their disastrous ICC World T20 2016 campaign led Pakistan to the summit of the ICC rankings the shortest format of the game with 11 consecutive series wins. However, it seems that he had lost his mojo as Pakistan failed to win a single T20I series this year. Their unbeaten run was halted in an away series against South Africa earlier this year and they suffered their second straight defeat in the 20-over format at home against Sri Lanka recently.
12:22 IST, October 19th 2019