Asia Cup 2018: Inzamam-ul-Haq backs Sarfraz Ahmed as Pakistan's captain

Pakistan didn’t have pleasant outings in the recently concluded Asia Cup by any stretch of the imagination. They started with a victory against Hong Kong, but their campaign went downhill thereafter. Their next match against India in Dubai was expected to be the tournament’s marquee clash, but Sarfraz Ahmed and Co were thrashed black and blue by Rohit Sharma’s men.

In their first Super 4 match against Afghanistan, the Men in Green well and truly found themselves in a rabbit hole, however, Shoaib Malik’s calm and composed temperament got them over the finishing line in a closely-fought encounter at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan were yet again thrashed by the Men in Blue, this time by nine wickets in the second stage.

There is no question about Sarfaraz’s captaincy

Sarfraz’s men slumped to a defeat against Bangladesh by 37 runs in their last Super 4 match in Abu Dhabi and subsequently, were eliminated before the final. In the meantime, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistani cricketer and national chief selector, backed Sarfraz Ahmed as the captain and said that the team’s captaincy doesn’t need to be changed based on only one bad outing.

“There is no question about Sarfaraz’s captaincy, however, the captain and the team did not play the cricket we were expecting. This doesn’t mean that we have to replace Sarfaraz as I still have full confidence in his leadership skill,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by Pak Passion.

Sarfraz’s own performance was also indifferent, to say the least. The 31-year-old could only manage 68 runs in five matches at an average of 17. His top score of 44 came against India in the Super 4 match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Sarfraz Ahmedwill now lead the national team in the upcoming two-match Test series against Australia, which gets underway on October 7 in Dubai.

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