AFTER getting a chance purely on the basis of his sustained performance on the domestic circuit, Sarfaraz Ahmed made the most of the opportunity and silenced his critics who had even suggested that his days in international cricket were practically over. The Man of the Series award against the visiting New Zealand side was a fitting response from a thorough professional who allowed his actions, rather than words, to do the talking.

The crushing defeat against England in the recent Test series on home soil had raised many questions regarding selection and other affairs in the national team management. And it was appropriate that a few steps were taken urgently to halt the slide.

The defeat against England was embarrassing as it was the first time that Pakistan got whitewashed in a home series by England in almost 70 years of bilateral cricketing ties.

Even otherwise, the national team’s performance during 2022 was less than optimal in across all formats, including one-day internationals (ODIs) and T20. Babar Azam, the great batsman that he is beyond doubt or debate, struggled with the captaincy and that reflected in the team’s performance throughout the year.

It is not too far-fetched an idea to suggest that Sarfaraz may be considered as a replacement. He served as the national captain with distinction. Under his captaincy, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy and reached the top spot in international T20 rankings.

He was inexplicably dropped from the team, and was made to serve as the 12th man, which was surely meant to be a snub for the former captain. But he never gave up and continued to do what he could to make himself relevant and available. He scored runs and kept wickets efficiently during the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy. More critically, he kept his silence regardless of who said what.

Once he got the chance against New Zealand, he delivered and delivered in a grand manner. With all these undenia-ble facts in hand, one can suggest with confidence that Sarfaraz should be seriously considered for the honour of leading the national side once again for much better results in the days ahead.

Sumayya Hashmi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2023