Shoaib Malik asks Shahid Afridi to pick Sarfaraz in ODI team

Shoaib Malik asks Shahid Afridi to pick Sarfaraz in ODI team

LAHORE (Web Desk) – Former Pakistan cricket team captain Shoaib Malik said that Sarfaraz Ahmed should be included in the national one-day international squad as white-ball World Cup is around the corner. Malik said the wicket-keeper batter will prove his worth in the coming tournament.

Sarfaraz returned to the national Test team after a four-year gap. In his first Test since 2019, he made 86 runs after replacing wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan in the side.

The wicket-keeper batter enjoyed an excellent 196-run partnership with skipper Babar Azam before Ajaz Patel dismissed him when he edged one to Mitchell at first slip shortly before the close.

In his tweet, Shoaib Malik lauded Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) interim chief selector Shahid Afridi for selecting Sarfaraz in the Karachi Test match against New Zealand.

— Shoaib Malik (@realshoaibmalik) December 26, 2022

On the first day of the opening Test at Karachi’s National Stadium on Monday, Captain Babar Azam struck an unbeaten 161 as Pakistan overcame a wobbly start to score 317-5.

With 161 and 3 runs respectively, Babar Azam and Agha Salman are currently on the crease.

Shoaib Malik tweeted that Afridi’s decision to take Sarfaraz for the Test was good. He said that the white-ball cricket World Cup is near, therefore, Sarfaraz should be included in the ODI team as well.

Malik said that the wicketkeeper-batter will turn out to very useful in the middle overs.

Shoaib also lavished praise on Babar for scoring a brilliant century.

Meanwhile, Shahid Afridi praised Sarfaraz Ahmed for his performance against New Zealand in Green Shirts’ first game in the two-match Test series taking place in Karachi’s National Stadium.

"Sarfaraz proved his selection right, excellent performance for him under pressure," the former Pakistan skipper tweeted.

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) December 26, 2022