'All these things happen on the ground, nothing is taken off the field' - Sarfaraz Ahmed on aggressive on-field behavior during PSL 2021

Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed grabbed the limelight quite often during the now-suspended sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for all the wrong reasons. Ahmed was many times spotted losing his cool and expressing his disappointment over the players. The 34-year-old was leading Quetta Gladiators.

Gladiators didn’t experience an ideal outing in PSL 2021 as they lost four of their five matches before the tournament was suspended. Speaking about his aggressive outlook on the field, Sarfaraz asserted that he is just expressive on the field. The wicketkeeper clarified that the behavior on the field doesn’t change his personal equation with the players off the field.

“It is just my style (to be expressive). During crunch time, and when you are not doing well, it is important to avail all the opportunities that come your way. But all these things (getting angry) happen on the ground, nothing is taken off the field. Everything is normal once we come out of the ground,” Ahmed said in an interview with Cricket Pakistan.

Quetta Gladiators began their PSL 2021 campaign with a loss to Karachi Kings by seven wickets. The same was followed by the team losing their next three matches on a trot. However, the franchise returned back to the winning ways by defeating Multan Sultans by 22 runs. 

Analyzing what went wrong with the team, the skipper asserted that the players performed decently with the bat and the ball. However, the fielding wasn’t up to the mark and that resulted in their downfall.  

“If you look back at the five matches, we did reasonably well, but the major factor that let us down was fielding. We were really poor in that department. We missed catches and run-outs at important times and that was a major setback, which is why we lost so many matches,” Sarfaraz elaborated. 

There is nothing to be disheartened about: Sarfaraz Ahmed

Pakistan’s poor performance in the 2019 World Cup resulted in the sacking of Sarfaraz Ahmed. The wicketkeeper was soon axed from the playing XI too. He was been effectively replaced by Mohammad Rizwan, who is doing considerably well with the willow and gloves.

When asked about his thoughts regarding the same, Sarfaraz asserted that there is nothing to be disheartened about as he is just focusing on improving his game and fitness. The 34-year-old said that being with the team helps a lot as he is able to interact with the team and know more about his game.

“There is nothing to be disheartened about. Irrespective of whether you are playing or not, when you are part of the team, you get a chance to interact and learn from top coaches. I always try to keep on learning and, even when I play PSL games, I try to implement what I have learned and do my best on the field,” Sarfaraz signed off.