Sarfaraz omission angers Pakistanis

Sport360 staff 19:28 30/07/2015
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  • Sarfaraz has become a fans' favourite.

    KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Community has shown great displeasure and surprise about the omission of match-winner Sarfaraz Ahmed from the first T20I between Pakistan and Sri Lanka being played in Colombo.

    #JusticeforSarfaraz has been trending on twitter with fans and experts reacting to his omission by expressing their views against PCB and the team management.

    Former cricketer and ex-coach Mohsin Khan said that he is shocked to see Sarfaraz out of the team.

    “It is really shocking and surprising for me to see Sarfaraz out of the playing 11 against Sri Lanka. He is becoming a world-class cricketer and instead of giving him confidence, the team management and the captain are dropping him,” Mohsin said.

    “You don’t drop such a match-winner to shatter his confidence. He has been winning matches for Pakistan for the last two years but he is yet to be treated fairly.”

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    Previously, former cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq stated on PTV Sports that you do not rest your match-winner by force but you drop them by choice.

    Former selector Shoaib Mohammad said that a finished product is being destroyed.

    “Sarfaraz is a set article and a finished product which is being destroyed by the team management,” Shoaib said.

    International cricketer Ramiz Raja Jr tweeted: “Wow!! Vice captain Sarfarza Ahmed dropped??? Trying to control my words. #speechless #theycantstopyousaifi #JusticeForSarfaraz”

    Sarfaraz has emerged as a new hero of Pakistan cricket in the last 18 months performing outstandingly and is one of the best wicketkeeper batsmen of the modern-day era.

    However, the team management especially head coach Waqar Younis have not given him the confidence a match-winner should get despite consistent performances.

    The initial impression of the bias reflected in the 2015 World Cup when Sarfaraz, carried as an opener, was limited to the bench for  the first four matches resulting in an uproar in Pakistan as to why the talented player was kept out for no reason when make-shift openers were being tried.

    Given the chance, Sarfaraz took the man of the match award on his World Cup debut scoring a brisk 49 against South Africa and taking six catches to equal the World Cup record of Australian Adam Gilchirist for having the most catches in a match.

    He followed that with another man of the match award scoring a century against Ireland to take Pakistan into the quarter-finals.

    Since then, Sarfaraz batting order either has been disturbed in ODI format or he has been rested in T20Is which do not go down well with fans, experts and former cricketers.

    He has been appointed as vice captain in one-dayers and T20Is but this is the second time he has been dropped from the shortest format. Previously, he was limited to the bench during home series against Zimbabwe.

    The Pakistani journalists also took out to twitter to share their frustration.

    Nabeel Hashmi ‏@NabeelHashmi88 

    Ubaid Awan ‏@UbaidAwan

    A. Ghaffar Dawn News ‏@SportsReporter

    Share your views on Sport360’s Twitter using #360fans. 

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