KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain and ex-chief selector Moin Khan has come out to bat in favour of country’s current T20 leader Sarfraz Ahmed as the next national one-day side skipper in place of the embattled Azhar Ali.

Speaking to media here on Monday, Moin, the head coach of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Quetta Gladiators, put his vote in favour of flamboyant Sarfraz.

“Look, I think the only way to wriggle out of a very difficult situation that our one-day team is in today is to take bold decisions. We need to take an aggressive route to overcome our [one-day] shortcomings and Sarfraz just about fits the bill to do that,” Moin observed. “The game has changed significantly and the brand that we play is absolutely obsolete. You can’t expect Pakistan to go down further. I’m not the only one backing Sarfraz’s credentials for captaincy, some other big names of Pakistan cricket too are in favour of Sarfraz.”

“He is a born leader in my view who has been captaining Pakistan from his under-19 days when led them to World Cup title [in Sri Lanka, 2006]. It is time to give Sarfraz the charge of one-day side. He has done extremely well as the T20 leader [winning four matches so far] and will be a good choice,” the former wicket-keeper stressed.

“Sarfraz has the capability of being aggressive on the field and Pakistan certainly are lacking in aggression at the moment, not just in one-day cricket but also in the Test arena.”

“Azhar,was always struggling since he was not originally part of the one-day side,” added Moin. “He [Azhar] didn’t even command a place in the [one-day] team, then how come he was named captain? He was out of his depth because he lacked the acumen that [one-day] leadership demands. And when someone who is not even a regular selection for the particular format, then there is no point asking him to continue him as captain,” Moin opined.

Moin, meanwhile, sounded optimistic on the second PSL season, saying the Gladiators have the potential to go better this time under Sarfraz’s leadership. “If we play with the same spirit and commitment we displayed last year, the Gladiators could be lifting the trophy in Lahore,” said a confident looking Moin. “There is great camaraderie within our squad and the presence of [Gladiators mentor] Sir Vivian Richards has been the greatest inspiration one could ever hope to have,” he said.

“I may be the head coach who everyone is praising but for me, Sir Vivian has been the biggest influence in our successful campaign and we expect to carry on in the same vein. The squad this time looks stronger and is capable of winning the tournament.”

Earlier, Quetta Gladiators inked a two-year deal with Jubilee Life Insurance as their title sponsor.

Team owner Nadeem Omar speaking on the occasion, said: “It a privilege and honour to join hands with our title-sponsors. It is always good to have credible brands since it helps the team’s value. The Gladiators have a great side with Sir Vivian, Moin, Sarfraz and KP [Kevin Pietersen] there to inspire the rest of the squad.

“We have made some new signings and one of them is Tymal Mills, who is rated to be among the fastest bowlers on the planet and Kevin Pietersen rates Moin as the greatest coach in the world. So we have a good mixture.”

Javed remarked: “The reason we decided to support Quetta Gladiators after evaluating all other franchises is they have same vision and thoughts as we have. Add aggression, passion and teamwork, then you should expect a decent collaboration.”

Former chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed Sallu, KCCA president and PCB governing board member Prof Ejaz Ahmed Faruqi, Qamar Ahmed and Jamal Mir also spoke briefly on the occasion.

Published in Dawn January 31st, 2017