Sarfaraz Ahmed will remain the captain for the World Cup, PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani confirms again

Recently Pakistan’s wicket-keeper captain Sarfaraz Ahmed found himself in a spot of bother after he passed a racist comment against South African all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo during the recently concluded ODI series. Sarfaraz called Phehlukwayo ‘Kaala’ which is an Urdu translation for Black.

As a result of his actions, he was handed a 4-match ban by the ICC. The ban also raised questions over the selection of a different captain for the upcoming ICC World Cup by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). However, the PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani has confirmed that Sarfraz would continue to lead the side in the tournament. The Board does not want to hand the leadership duties to someone else.

Realizing how big a mistake he has committed, Sarfaraz Ahmed immediately sought an apology but it was a bit too late for him because by that time ICC was already investigating the matter. His racist remarks had widespread effects across the cricket fraternity in Pakistan. Sarfraz was not in the best of forms and this controversy was an addition to his troubles.

He will remain the captain

Talking to the Indian Express, Ehsan Mani confirmed that Sarfaraz Ahmed will continue to lead the side in the upcoming World cup. He said, “Yes, he (Sarfaraz) will remain captain.”

Mani also admitted that the remarks made by Sarfraz were unnecessary and it was not needed to go this far. He also said that the apologies were made immediately after realising the extent of the mistake.

“Look, he immediately apologised. There was no need to have a word with him about the incident. Because what he said in Urdu was quite innocent. Actually what he was saying to the player was that ‘your mother has been praying special prayers for you’. He just used the word, ‘black’, which was totally unacceptable.

“And he understood that when it was explained to him. And he apologised straight away. The PCB apologised straight away. Everyone accepted our apology on the South African side,” the PCB chief exclaimed.

[interaction id=”5c63ed0b1179bbc55d181805”]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.