by: Atika Mehboob TN Sport Pakistan:
During the recently concluded 1st Test match between Pakistan and Australia, wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed displayed a below-par performance with the bat. Despite this, veteran player Mohammad Hafeez, who is the newly-appointed Head Coach, has come to Sarfraz’s defense.
In the first Test, Sarfraz was chosen ahead of Mohammad Rizwan in the playing XI. Unfortunately, Ahmed scored only 3 runs in the first innings and added just 4 runs in the second innings. Nevertheless, Hafeez emphasized that Sarfraz has a proven track record and one poor match does not define his capabilities.
“Sarfaraz has delivered numerous performances for Pakistan. In the recent New Zealand series in Pakistan, he was excellent. Though some time has passed since then, it’s essential to prioritize our best performers from recent series. Unfortunately, this match didn’t go well for Sarfaraz according to our expectations. However, we can’t make drastic decisions based on just one match,” Hafeez stated.
“Sarfaraz is not a newcomer; he has toured Australia, South Africa, and England before. He is familiar with these conditions, and it’s not accurate to say that he will struggle to adjust. While he may not have met expectations in this match as a batsman and keeper, it doesn’t mean we should doubt someone’s skills and claim they can only perform in specific conditions,” he added.
It’s worth mentioning that the Pakistan team suffered a significant defeat by 360 runs in the hands of the home side.
