5 reasons why Sarfraz Ahmed can be good ODI captain for Pakistan
Azhar Ali stepped down from ODI captaincy after the spate of poor performances from the team, 1-4 series defeat against Australia being the latest. As expected, Sarfraz Ahmed was appointed as Azhar Ali’s successor with immediate effect. Sarfraz’s first assignment after taking over the leadership mantle will be against West Indies in the Caribbean during April.
Currently ranked eighth in ICC ODI rankings, Pakistan are in danger of missing out on automatic qualification for 2019 World Cup. Sarfraz, already the T20I captain has been backed by most of the current and former Pakistan cricketers along with the coach Mickey Arthur to take Pakistan cricket forward as far as shorter formats are concerned.
Also, there are rumours that he might take over Test captaincy as well if Misbah decides to step down.
In hindsight, Sarfraz is the brightest prospect for Pakistan as he is the only one who walks into the team in all the formats of the game. This gives us an opportunity to have a look at why he can be good ODI captain for Pakistan.
#1 Prior captaincy experience
Sarfraz Ahmed might be new to captaincy in International cricket but he has tremendous experience of leading a full-fledged side. He has won all four matches he has led in T20 Internationals so far and looks set to become the long-term option for the coveted role in the shortest format.
Sarfraz showed his captaincy skills by leading his country to the U-19 World Cup title back in 2006 and his leadership skills were further enhanced when he led Quetta Gladiators in the inaugural season of Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Quetta Gladiators eventually were the finalists of the tournament, the credit of which mostly goes to the energetic captaincy of the wicket keeper batsman. He would also gain more experience in the ongoing season of PSL where he is again set to lead his franchise.
All these captaincy experiences would surely hold him in good stead when Sarfraz will lead Pakistan for the first time in April against West Indies.