Inzamam-ul-Haq: “We should respect our players. This statement is not good for any player and especially for someone who has served Pakistan for a long time”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has admitted that he was less than impressed with head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq’s comments about Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Misbah had said that Sarfaraz was selected for the tour of England since he is the second-best wicketkeeper in the country after Mohammad Rizwan.
“Sarfaraz Ahmed is the second-best wicketkeeper after Mohammad Rizwan. He is selected as a back-up [the] for England tour on [the] basis of his performance,” Misbah had said.
But, this irked Inzamam, who pointed out that Sarfaraz is a former captain that led Pakistan to Champions Trophy glory in 2017 and is now trying to make a comeback to international cricket.
Sarfaraz hasn’t represented Pakistan since being sacked as Test and T20 captain in October last year.
However, he recently captained the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he scored 148 runs in nine matches at an average of 21.14 and a strike-rate of 128.69.
“I heard that Sarfaraz was being considered as the second choice wicketkeeper by the Pakistan team management,” Inzamam was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. “Sarfaraz was Pakistan captain for a long period and led the Men in Green to the Champions Trophy title.
“Players go through bad patches and are in and out of the team. However, we should respect our players. This statement is not good for any player and especially for someone who has served Pakistan for a long time.
“When you are making a comeback after being dropped as captain, it is a very difficult task. On top of it, if you say that he is second choice as wicketkeeper, then it becomes even more challenging. Players making a comeback need your motivation. Management needs to be careful as this kind of statement can bring his morale down.”
Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and three T20 Internationals against England.
Recent reports said that the tour is all set to go ahead, but the start date of the Test series will be pushed back from July 30 to August 5.
[interaction id=”5dc6e7fe84c507bcfc1855f9″]