Babar Azam's captaincy has been under the scanner for his on-field and off-the-field decisions. There have been reports that Babar is likely to get sacked as captain if Pakistan fail to make it to the World Cup 2023 semi-finals. Amidst widespread criticism, former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has come to his teammate's rescue. Sarfaraz has urged critics to reserve their criticism till the end of World Cup 2023 in India.
"We need to support the Pakistan team. Yes, they have not played good cricket but they can bounce back. They don't need to lose hope and give 100 per cent of the effort without worrying about the result," Sarfaraz told the reporters after leading Karachi Whites to their fifth Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title after beating Faisalabad Region by a massive margin of 456 runs in Lahore.
Ahead of Pakistan's must-win clash against South Africa at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, Sarfaraz has urged people to support the Babar-led side as he said, “People who are outside must support the team and whatever things one has to say, say it after the tournament ends.”
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz was in stellar form in Pakistan's First-Class tournament. He finished the tournament as the highest run-getter with 697 runs from 11 innings at an average of 99.57 including two centuries and four half-centuries.
“I always try to continue my performances whenever I play domestic cricket and most importantly the performances have been beneficial for the team,” the wicketkeeper-batter added.
His performances led Karachi Whites to their first Quaid-e-Azam title since the 2001-2002 season.
Against an in-form South African side, Pakistan will need their A game. So far, Pakistan have just won out of five games. A win will help them climb to the fifth spot on the points table and stay alive in the tournament.
Before the clash against South Africa, Pakistan have been dealt a huge blow. Hasan Ali has been ruled out of the match due to fever. In his absence, Mohammad Wasim Jr. is very likely to make his World Cup debut.
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