Misbah-ul-Haq clarifies why Sarfaraz Ahmed carried drinks and shoes for his teammates

Former Pakistan skipper, Sarfaraz Ahmed was supposed to be a revolution for the Asian side. Many were expecting him to become one of the greatest leaders and take his side to new heights. While he did prove his promise by guiding his team to victory in the 2017 Champions Trophy, things have been going only downhill for him since then.

He found himself out of the reckoning as far as the playing XI for the ongoing first Test against England goes. With Mohammad Rizwan taking his place behind the stumps, the ex-captain only was limited to a spot on the bench. On Day 2 of the Manchester Test, however, fans got to see Sarfaraz on the field when he carried the drinks for his teammates. Seeing their ex-captain becoming a ‘water-boy’ for Pakistan players, many fans expressed their unhappiness on social media, prompting head coach Misbah-ul-Haq to respond.

Fans pointed out how it was disrespectful for the team management to ask the veteran to carry drinks when the same could’ve been done by a junior cricketer. The pictures of him carrying drinks soon spread like wildfire, so much so that the head coach had no option but to issue a clarification on the subject.

Even I carried drinks for the team: Misbah-ul-Haq

“It is very common and I don’t think this was an issue for Sarfaraz either. Even I carried drinks for the team against Australia when I was captain but didn’t play that particular match in which I was the 12th man,” said the Pakistan head coach-cum-chief selector.

“Sarfaraz is an excellent human being and player. He knows that it is a team game. When other players are practicing outside, so the player who is available has to help out. It is not a matter of disrespect. In fact, it is big of Sarfaraz that he doesn’t mind doing it. Plus, it is a sign of a good team,” Misbah said at the end of day’s play.

Some reckon that Sarfaraz was too big a player to become water boy for the Pakistan team, other fans reminded them that even India captain Virat Kohli has carried drinks for his teammates before.

It is the first international series that Sarfaraz has been a part of, having last played for Pakistan in the 2019 ICC World Cup where his team failed to qualify for the semi-finals. He was later stripped off Test and T20I captaincy, with Azhar Ali and Babar Azam taking his place respectively. Later, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman saw Babar succeed him as captain in ODI cricket too.

Despite not playing any sort of cricket at the international level, Sarfaraz was offered a place in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) central contracts for the 2020-21 season.