PCB chief hints at Sarfraz Ahmed's Test captaincy

The entire Pakistani cricketing fraternity is on cloud 9 after demolishing all the odds and winning the Champions Trophy 2017. Their skipper Sarfraz Ahmed led from the front to register some breathtaking wins against sides which entered as the favourites to win the title.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shaharyar Khan gave a major hint in an interview that Sarfraz might become the new captain of Pakistan in the longer version. Expressing elation over his team’s sensational run, the Khan was full of praises for the skipper. He mentioned clearly that it’s not hard to guess who will succeed Misbah-ul-Haq as the Test skipper, with Sarfraz being the vice-captain of the side.

“Sarfraz is already the vice-captain [of the Test team]. Misbah has retired. Our next series is in October against Sri Lanka, and I’ll have to announce the new captain before that. So you can conclude yourself who we are going to choose,” said Shaharyar while talking to the Tribune.

“I have already consulted a lot of people on this matter and I am planning to consult a few more but, truth be told, Sarfraz has delivered very well as the captain of the ODI and T20I side,” he added.

Now that makes things very clear that Sarfraz will be taking over the reigns as the captain unless some miracle prevents it. He also added that Safaraz has matured a lot with the added responsibility on his shoulders and it was palpable in his decision making through out the course of the tournament.

“Didn’t expect we would win the trophy”

Shaharyar Khan said he was actually surprised with their side lifting the trophy. He thought it would be very tough for them to even get into the semi-finals but he really is ecstatic. “I’ll be honest, I thought even qualifying for the semi-final would be a big achievement for us. I never thought we’d win the tournament,” he said, adding that he was still optimistic about a good display from the side.

Talking about Mickey Arthur‘s incredible contribution to the side, he said that the former is a little strict with the boys and that’s imperative to succeed. He added that the way he trained the guys for such a big tournament was really exceptional.

“The boys put in a lot of hard work. They showed a lot of passion. I would also like to mention the role of our head coach Mickey Arthur. The way he has trained the boys is exceptional,” he said. “He is a little strict too with the players, but it is necessary at times,” Khan concluded.