Sarfaraz Ahmed gets unusually philosophical over losing top Pakistan central contract

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently announced the men’s central contracts list for 2020-21. The likes of Iftikhar Ahmad and Naseem Shah were the two new faces in the 18-player list for the season. However, a major demotion from Category A to Category B came in the form of former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed.

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Sarfaraz Ahmed doesn't have any regrets after being demoted from Category A to Category B

Besides Sarfaraz Ahmed, leg-spinner Yasir Shah has also been demoted to Category B. Sarfaraz Ahmed had a below-par World Cup 2019. On top of that, he failed in the home series against Sri Lanka as well. Sarfaraz Ahmed was axed from the team because of his horror show and was also stripped off the national team's  captaincy. However, the 32-year-old was determined to make a comeback into Pakistan team.

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Recently, Sarfaraz Ahmed said that he doesn't have any regrets after being demoted from Category A to Category B. According to Cricket Pakistan, Sarfaraz Ahmed said that to maintain a certain position, one needs to work very hard. He added that Category A, B or C doesn’t matter to him as his main target is to make a place for himself whenever he makes a comeback into the national side.

Sarfaraz Ahmed took his demotion in a gracious manner. He said that ups and downs are part of a cricketing career. He further said he is grateful to be in the B category because all their top cricketers are in it.

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Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali exit Pakistan team's WhatsApp group after central contracts snub

According to a recent report, Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali have left the WhatsApp group created by the PCB after they were denied central contracts for 2020-21 season. A report in Cricket Pakistan quoted team sources as saying that it was usual for players to willingly leave the group set up by the PCB for issues and recommendations related to fitness after they are dropped from the central contract list. However, Wahab Riaz, who also didn't make a cut to the central contract list, is still part of the WhatsApp group.

At the same time, PCB stated that Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz will remain in contention for selection in what will be a busier cricket season as compared to the one that has just concluded. Hasan Ali has not represented Pakistan since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and only appeared in some matches of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2020) in February-March before breaking down with a back problem. On the other hand, Mohammad Amir last featured in the T20I series in Australia in November 2019.

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IMAGE COURTESY: PTI