Pakistan’s skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked last week from his post to be replaced by Azhar Ali and Babar Azam in Tests and T20Is respectively. Even his ODI post appears to be in doubt with the Pakistan Cricket board stating that they would make a decision on that later.
It is a major blow for Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batsman who led them to a Champions Trophy triumph in 2017. PCB’s surprising decision came a series after Misbah ul Haq was made the head coach. If indeed the sacking had to come, it probably should have happened before the Sri Lankan series itself.
But has Pakistan really done poorly under Sarfaraz for him to be sacked? Under him, Pakistan became the top T20I nation in the world since the last World T20, with one of the best win percentages until their 0-3 loss to Sri Lanka. Ignoring that record and calling out one series against the Sri Lankan side is poor from the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Consider all formats and all captains and Sarfaraz’s win-loss ration as a skipper is second only to Saleem Malik in Pakistan’s cricket history.
Captain | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | NR | Win/Loss |
*Saleem Malik | 46 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
*Sarfaraz Ahmed | 100 | 61 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1.694 |
*Mushtaq Mohammad | 23 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1.666 |
*Zaheer Abbas | 27 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1.666 |
*Wasim Akram | 134 | 78 | 49 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1.591 |
*Shoaib Malik | 64 | 38 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.583 |
*Waqar Younis | 79 | 47 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.566 |
*Moin Khan | 47 | 24 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1.5 |
*Inzamam-ul-Haq | 119 | 63 | 44 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 1.431 |
*Mohammad Hafeez | 32 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.384 |
*Imran Khan | 187 | 89 | 67 | 1 | 26 | 4 | 1.328 |
In 100 matches across formats, Sarfaraz led Pakistan to 61 wins while losing just 36 matches. Even greats like Mushtaq Mohammad and Imran Khan had far worse records as captain. In fact, Misbah ul Haq himself had a very poor reign as skipper, losing 60 matches and winning just 77. The win-loss ratio under Sarfaraz is 1.694, second only to Malik’s 2.
Several former greats have come out in support of Sarfaraz Ahmed after his sacking.
Mohsin Khan: “He (Sarfaraz) took Pakistan to number one in T20 cricket and he is a fighter. This is a decision taken in haste and it could also affect the career of Babar.”
Rashid Latif: “Sarfaraz is not a selfish captain and sacrificed his position many times for the team. He did not deserve this treatment.”
Moin Khan: “He (Sarfaraz) has shown himself to be a fine captain and yes, he was struggling a bit for form, but when a senior player is under pressure you have to encourage and back him, not dump him like this.”
His batting credentials also cannot be questioned too much. In Tests since 2016, Sarfaraz has 11 half-centuries, the most alongside Babar Azam and Azhar Ali. While he does not have a hundred, the wicket-keeper’s batting position justifies his handy fifties and an average over 30.
All in all, the keeper was perhaps given a raw deal in yet another fickle call by the PCB.
Read: Pakistan drop Sarfaraz, Malik from Australia tour
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Saeed Khan
