'If Sarfaraz Ahmed performs in PSL, he has a chance of comeback' - Misbah-ul-Haq

Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has commented on Sarfaraz Ahmed’s chances of returning to the national team after the latter was ignored for the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh too. Sarfaraz Ahmed has fallen out of favour with Pakistan team after a dismal run both as a captain and batsman in 2019.

Sarfaraz was under the scanner right from the start of 2019 when Pakistan lost the Test, ODI and T20I series in South Africa. A poor World Cup further increased the pressure on him as Pakistan exited the competition at the group stage. Speculations were rife that he would be sacked right after the tournament but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) gave him another chance.

However, when Pakistan suffered a whitewash at home at the hands of a second-string Sri Lanka side, PCB did not wait for long to replace Sarfaraz with Babar Azam as the T20I captain. The wicketkeeper was sacked as the Test skipper too as Azhar Ali took charge of the team. Not only that, but PCB also dropped Sarfaraz from the team and he is yet to earn a recall.

There is still a chance for Sarfaraz Ahmed

While the latest snub has further put question marks over Sarfaraz Ahmed’s future in Pakistan team, Misbah has insisted that all is not lost for the ex-captain. The head coach opined that his former Pakistan teammate can still make a comeback into the team if he performs well in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020.

“Sarfaraz Ahmed has made some terrific improvements in fitness and is one of the fittest at the moment. It’s straight forward for him with PSL coming up, he was dropped due to form. If he performs, he has a strong case to make a comeback,” Misbah was quoted as saying by TimesNow.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have recalled veterans Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik to their T20I squad as they made wholesome changes to the squad. As many as seven players faced the axe after the forgettable tour of Australia. Pakistan also called-up uncapped Haris Rauf to the squad after his impressive displays in Big Bash League.

Pakistan squad for Bangladesh series:

Babar Azam (captain), Ahsan Ali, Amad Butt, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Usman Qadir

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