The ongoing year has been really disheartening for the Pakistan cricket team, especially in the shortest format of the game. They lost all the four series that they played in 2019 and managed to win only one game in their last 10 T20I matches.
Seeing the crumbling state of the team, the board is deciding to recall the former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed back into the team for the upcoming T-20 International series against Bangladesh. Arfa Feroz Zake, a Pakistani journalist, took to Twitter and shared that Ahmed is likely to make a comeback into the team as a wicket-keeper because his replacement Mohammad Rizwan has failed to make a good impression on the selectors.
“Sarfaraz Ahmed expected to be included as wicket-keeper in T-20 series versus Bangladesh in Jan 2020. After M Rizwan being not so impressive in T-20s,” the journalist wrote in his tweet.
He further added that the 36-year-old cricketer would have to prove his fitness in front of the management and has been called for a fitness test before the series at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore, where the whole team would be present.
“Sarfaraz called for a fitness test on 6, 7 Jan in NCA Lahore. Team to gather in Lahore on 5 Jan,” Feroz Wake said.
Sarfaraz Ahmed expected to be included as WicketKeeper in T20 series versus Bangladesh in Jan 2020. After M Rizwan being not so impressive in T20s, Management has considered former captain. Sarfaraz called for fitness test on 6,7Jan in NCA Lahore. Team to gather in Lahore on 5Jan
— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) December 30, 2019
Sarfaraz played his last T-20 game on October 9, earlier this year. During his captaincy in all the formats, the year started with humiliating losses from the hands of South Africa. The Men in Green lost to Proteas in all the formats – ODI, Test, and T-20I. The things even became worse for him when Australia defeated his side 5-0 in an ODI series.
The last series that Pakistan won was against Sri Lanka. The side led by Ahmed won the ODI series and when he thought everything would be back on track, the Islanders thumped his team in the T20I series.
As a result, Ahmed had to step down as the captain of the Test side and the T20I side. Babar Azam replaced him as the captain in the shortest format while Azhar Ali was given a chance to lead the Pakistani side in red-ball cricket.
The Bangladesh tour of Pakistan will start in January 2020 and both the teams will play 2 Test matches and 3 T20I games.
