Viv Richards: “Sarfaraz is a player who wears his heart on his sleeve. I’ve always been a fan of Sarfaraz whether he’s captain or non-captain, I believe that he brings a lot of positive things to the team”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary West Indies batsman Sir Viv Richards said he has always been a fan of Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed, irrespective of whether he is captaining the Quetta Gladiators or not.
Prior to the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), Sarfaraz was removed as the Gladiators’ captain and replaced by South Africa batsman Rilee Rossouw.
Richards, who is the team’s mentor, noted that he fully appreciates the way the 36-year-old “wears his heart on his sleeve” and branded him as a useful asset.
“Sarfaraz is a player who wears his heart on his sleeve. I’ve always been a fan of Sarfaraz whether he’s captain or non-captain, I believe that he brings a lot of positive things to the team,” he told Geo News.
Sarfaraz was nowhere near his best during PSL 9 as he was restricted to 22 runs in six matches at an average of 5.50 and a strike-rate of 75.86.
Despite Sarfaraz’s struggles with the bat, the Gladiators managed to reach the playoffs, where they ended up losing to eventual champions Islamabad United in Eliminator 1.
Quetta Gladiators Squad for PSL 9: Rilee Rossouw (captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sherfane Rutherford, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Wasim, Jason Roy, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammad Hasnain, Abrar Ahmed, Will Smeed, Saud Shakeel, Sajjad Ali, Usman Qadir, Omair Bin Yousuf, Adil Naz, Khawaja Nafay, Akeal Hosein, Sohail Khan, Laurie Evans, Bismillah Khan
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