Sarfraz Ahmed broods over Pakistan's loss in Sharjeel Khan's fixing scandal

Pakistan’s spirited captain Sarfraz Ahmed recently brooded over the loss Pakistan faces with the ban on Sharjeel Khan due to involvement in spot-fixing during this year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL). Sharjeel Khan’s international career was just beginning to bloom before he was involved in the scandal.

Pakistan’s captain who led his side to famous victory in the Champions Trophy expressed his disappointment over the 5-year ban of imposed on Sharjeel Khan. Mohammad Irfan and Nasir Jamshed were the other players involved in fixing in the PSL.

“Pakistan lost a talented opener in Sharjeel Khan due to that scandal as he could have served Pakistan cricket for a longer time,” claimed Sarfraz Ahmed according to his interview with Dawn. He further went on to talk about the chances of India and Pakistan playing against each other in the near future.

On strenuous ties with India

“I think the Indian players also want to play against Pakistan and hopefully, it will happen in the near future,” added Sarfraz. India last played a bilateral series against Pakistan back in 2012. Due to diplomatic issues, India has been reluctant to play against their arch-rivals.

PCB Chief Najam Sethi went on to state that he would pursue a legal battle against BCCI for not honouring the Memorandum of Understanding between the two boards signed in 2014. India was scheduled to play six bilateral series between the period of 2015-2023. PCB has demanded a compensation amount of USD 1 million from BCCI.

On Independence Cup victory

“All the foreign players were delighted to be part of this successful and pleasant tour in Lahore after playing three T20 matches against Pakistan. Pakistan won the series (2-1) but the World XI was a very strong side and it was not easy for us,” remarked Sarfraz about the recently concluded Independence Cup.