Reports: Sarfaraz Ahmed had reservations playing the third T20I against England

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s career for Pakistan went into the doldrums after the national team’s shambolic performance in the 2019 World Cup. In the mega event, the Men in Green couldn’t make the semis after some hefty defeats in the league stage. Thereafter, under his leadership, Pakistan lost the three-match T20I series 0-3 at the hands of a second-string Sri Lanka unit.

After the poor shows, not only was he removed from captaincy, but was left out from the squad as well. Recently, the 33-year-old was picked for Pakistan’s red-ball and white-ball series against England. The Karachi-born Sarfaraz had to wait for five matches before he finally got a chance in the third and final T20I at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

But as per reports in Geo TV, Sarfaraz had reservations about playing in the game after being benched for a chunk of the tour. Its been learned that skipper Babar Azam, head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and batting coach Younis Khan had to convince him to play the game. Misbah recently opened up on how Sarfaraz “expressed his reservations”.

Misbah speaks on Sarfaraz Ahmed

“I would also have done if I were in his position. Any player can have concerns when given the final match of a tour and that’s what Sarfaraz also had,” Misbah was quoted as saying during a press conference in Lahore on Monday, September 7.

“He had pressure that if things don’t go his way then he could be in trouble. Even if your performance is not the same, you will still remain a part of the team,” he added.

In that game, Sarfaraz didn’t get a chance to bat courtesy a decent show from Pakistan’s top and middle-order. Mohammad Hafeez’s 86 and Haider Ali’s 54 guided Pakistan to a daunting score of 190 for four in their 20 overs. The visitors went on to win the match by five runs.

Sarfaraz’s only contribution in the game was when he ran out opposition skipper Eoin Morgan with the help of Babar. Sarfaraz didn’t have fruitful outings in the 2020 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well. His team, the Quetta Gladiators, failed to qualify for the playoffs after a string of defeats.