CENTURION: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed played in the third One-day International against South Africa on Friday despite coming under scrutiny for an allegedly racist comment in the second game.

Sarfraz apologised for his outburst while South Africa all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo was batting in the home team’s victory in Durban on Tuesday.

Speaking in Urdu, Sarfraz was caught on a stump microphone saying “Hey black man, where is your mother sitting today? What (prayer) have you got her to say for you today?”

The International Cricket Council is gathering information on the incident but hasn’t announced any formal proceedings against Sarfraz, who said his comments were a general expression of frustration and not aimed specifically at Phehlukwayo.

Despite that, Sarfraz said in a tweet that he had apologised in person to Phehlukwayo ahead of Friday’s third ODI.

“He was gracious enough to accept my apology,” tweeted Sarfraz.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2019