Sikander Bakht: “That’s because when Sarfaraz was there, he didn’t let Rizwan play. This is what I have heard. I might be wrong”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan pace bowler Sikander Bakht revealed that he heard when former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was a regular member of the national team, he didn’t want to let wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan play.
Sarfaraz was the go-to wicketkeeper-batsman for years until he was stripped of the captaincy in October 2019.
From then on, Rizwan surpassed him as the first choice for the position and the 35-year-old was regularly seen sitting on the bench.
“That’s because when Sarfaraz was there, he didn’t let Rizwan play. This is what I have heard. I might be wrong,” Bakht said on Geo News as quoted by NDTV.
Sarfaraz did get the chance to replace Rizwan during the recent two-Test series against New Zealand and did extremely well as he amassed 335 runs, which included a century and three fifties, at an average of 83.75.
The duo are now featuring in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with Sarfaraz captaining the Quetta Gladiators and Rizwan leading the Multan Sultans.
Sarfaraz and Rizwan faced off against each other in the PSL on February 15 in Multan, with Rizwan’s Sultans triumphing by nine wickets.
Quetta Gladiators Squad for PSL 8:Â Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Wanindu Hasaranga, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy, Odean Smith, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Zahid, Naveen-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Umaid Asif, Will Smeed, Aimal Khan, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Martin Guptill, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qais Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Dwaine Pretorius, Will Jacks and Nuwan Thushara
Multan Sultans Squad for PSL 8:Â David Miller, Josh Little, Mohammad Rizwan, Khushdil Shah, Rilee Rossouw, Shan Masood, Akeal Hosein, Mohammad Ilyas, Tim David, Anwar Ali, Sameen Gul, Sarwar Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah, Adil Rashid, Arafat Minhas, Kieron Pollard, Amad Butt, Wayne Parnell and Izharulhaq Naveed