Rashid Latif, the former wicket-keeper of Pakistan, believes that Sarfaraz Ahmed shall be Pakistan’s first-choice in the T20 format against England whereas, he has picked Mohammad Rizwan for the red-ball cricket. Rashid Latif thinks Sarfaraz shall not be given priority in test cricket over Rizwan.
Rashid Latif picks Sarfaraz Ahmed as the first choice in T20Is and Mohammad Rizwan in Test matches ahead of England tour
“Sarfaraz will be Pakistan’s first-choice wicketkeeper in T20Is and second choice in Tests. Rizwan’s performances in Test matches have been really good so far. So I don’t think Sarfaraz will be preferred over Rizwan in Test cricket,” he said.
“The reason for taking Sarfaraz along is because they had to pick a bigger squad as the team will be in quarantine initially due to the pandemic.”
“It will be a difficult challenge for Sarfaraz to sit on the bench after leading Pakistan for three to four years and winning titles like Champions Trophy for the country. However, it is not impossible and I expect him to fight and overcome this tough task,” he said.
The former wicket-keeper thinks Sarfaraz shall have been the part of older T20 matches and thinks of it as PCB’s mistake for not selecting him. However, the Champions Trophy 2017 winning captain has captained the side for three-four years and it will be difficult for him to sit vacantly. He has got a long way to go still as he has got his names in the squad against England.
“Sarfaraz could have gone a little late as well. He could have traveled during the middle of the Test series. Maybe PCB was not able to plan it properly. Since there is a chartered flight being sent by ECB, the board thought of sending everyone together. Sarfaraz didn’t have to go together as he is a very big name of Pakistan cricket as a captain and leader,” he said.
