Sarfraz Ahmed appointed as Pakistan T20 captain
The decision comes two days after Shahid Afridi resigned as Twenty20 captain.
LAHORE (Web Desk / AFP) – Wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed today (Tuesday) replaced veteran all-rounder Shahid Afridi as Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain after the latter resigned following a disastrous World T20 campaign in India recently.
"PCB is pleased to announce appointment of Sarfraz Ahmed as Captain of Pakistan T20 team. Sarfraz was appointed Vice Captain of ODI and T20 teams last year. He takes over the captaincy of the shortest form of the game from Shahid Afridi whose term as Captain came to an end after the ICC World T20 2016," a media release from PCB said today.
Commenting on this development, PCB Chairman Shahryar Khan said, "I spoke to Sarfraz this morning and conveyed to him that he was our natural choice for this position. His appointment is open-ended. I wish him good luck in his new role".
Sarfraz began his international career in 2007 against India and he has been in and out of Pakistan‘s one-day side ever since.
In 2006, he was captain of the Pakistan team that won the Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
Sarfraz was part of the team at the World T20. The right-hander has played in 21 T20Is.
He has also played 58 one-day internationals and is averaging 29.91 with a strike rate of 86.16. He is averaging 46.28 in Test matches but has played just 21 of them.
During the first edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL), Sarfraz Ahmed led Quetta Gladiators to final but his team was defeated by Islamabad United.
The decision to appoint Srafraz as T20 skipper comes two days after Shahid Afridi announced he would step down as Pakistan‘s captain in the game‘s shortest format following Pakistan’s early exit from the World Twenty20 in which he was branded "absolutely clueless" by Manager Intikhab Alam.
The 36-year-old, nicknamed "Boom Boom" for his fierce hitting, had suffered a drop in form over the past two years and was unable to steer Pakistan through the group stages of the competition in India.
Afridi was appointed T20 captain for the second time in 2014, with his contract set to expire following the World T20 in India in 2016.
He led the team to the semi-finals of the same tournament in a previous stint as captain in 2010, but was removed a year later.
In 43 matches as captain, he led his team to 19 wins, 23 losses and one tie.
The 2009 champions had been widely criticised by fans for a lacklustre performance at the World T20 with just one victory, against unfancied Bangladesh, and big losses to India, New Zealand and Australia.
Afridi’s tactical nous and off-field leadership had come under fire in two separate post-mortem reports prepared by team manager Intikhab Alam and head coach Waqar Younis.
"Much to our chagrin (Afridi) was a captain in his farewell event after a career spanning nearly 20 years, yet absolutely clueless in terms of on-field tactics and off-field leadership," wrote Alam in his assessment, which was widely leaked to the press.
"We lost to New Zealand, Asia Cup and the World T20 due to poor captaincy. Over several occasions, I had made it clear that Shahid Afridi was not performing with the bat, ball or as a captain but I was not listened to," said Younis in his report.
Last week, Afridi took to Facebook and Twitter to issue a one-minute video apology to the cricket-mad country but stopped short of announcing his retirement.
"Today, I, Shahid Afridi, apologise to the whole nation for not being able to fulfil the hopes of myself and my team," he said.
Earlier on Monday, head coach Waqar Younis also resigned from his post.
"I am resigning from my post today with a heavy heart," he told reporters in Lahore.
Referring to a report written in the aftermath of the World Twenty20 in India that was widely leaked in the Pakistani press, he added: "I want my recommendations to be implemented. They were not acted on when I first made them in 2015.
