‘Has MS Dhoni retired?’ – Sarfaraz Ahmed’s wife backs Pakistan cricketer to make strong comeback after captaincy loss

Pakistan wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked as captain from all three formats last week on Friday, with the Pakistan Cricket Board naming Babar Azam and Azhar Ali to share captaincy duties in the upcoming T20I and Tests series against Australia, respectively. The wicketkeeper was also not named in the squad for the upcoming series. After the announcement, rumours started circulating that the 32-year might announce retirement.

But Ahmed’s wife has reportedly come down on the retirement and has backed his husband to make a comeback. Speaking in an interview to Times Now, Sarfaraz’s wife Khusbhat Sarfaraz said: “Why should he retire now? He is only 32. How old is Dhoni? Has he retired at his current age? My husband will make a strong come back. He is a fighter and will come back.”

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She further added: “No, neither I nor my husband is disappointed. It is Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision and we have to respect it. We knew this (sacking) three days ago. It is not the end of the road for him. He will be able to play burden-free now.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s former stalwarts on Sunday lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for acting in haste in removing Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain in all three formats of the game. Most of the former captains and players termed the removal of Sarfaraz on Friday as unjust. Not surprisingly the head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis were also targeted and blamed for engineering the ouster of Sarfaraz.

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Batting great Javed Miandad said since Sarfaraz had gained considerable experience as a captain in the last two years, he should have been given time to regain his form instead of just sacking him.

“Azhar’s appointment as Test captain is okay but if the Board wanted to appoint Babar as white-ball captain, they should have first groomed him as I fear the burden of T20 captaincy will affect his batting,” Miandad said.

Former Test batsman and ex-head coach and chief selector Mohsin Khan said, “He (Sarfaraz) took Pakistan to number one in T20 cricket and he is a fighter. This is a decision taken in haste and it could also affect the career of Babar.” Former captain Rashid Latif minced no words in stating that the Board had erred by making Babar captain of the T20 side.

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“He is a selfish player and we have seen this in international cricket and now in the national T20 championship. Sarfaraz is not a selfish captain and sacrificed his position many times for the team. He did not deserve this treatment,” he said.

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