Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has shared his opinion on the next possible all-format captain for the national team. Currently, Pakistan is led by star cricketer Babar Azam, who has enjoyed notable successes during his captaincy tenure.
Under Babar’s leadership, Pakistan achieved a memorable victory against arch-rivals India in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The team also reached the final of the tournament, although they faced a defeat against England. However, Babar’s captaincy has faced criticism, particularly in Test matches.
Pakistan failed to reach the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) in both 2021 and 2023 cycles. Additionally, they suffered defeats in home Test series against Australia and England, leading to scrutiny of Babar’s effectiveness in the longest format of the game.
When discussing the potential future captain, Sarfaraz, who himself served as Pakistan’s captain, suggested all-rounder Shadab Khan as a strong candidate. Sarfaraz emphasized the importance of having a versatile player who can excel in various cricketing scenarios.
The former skipper expressed his confidence in Shadab’s capabilities, highlighting his ability to perform effectively across all three formats of the game, be it One-Day Internationals (ODIs), Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), or Test cricket. Sarfaraz picked the name of Shadab after he was asked about which player, among Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Shadab, has the potential to become Pakistan’s all-format captain in the future.
“Shadab Khan,” replied Sarfaraz Ahmed without any hesitation during a YouTube podacast.
“The batting order at which he plays, he can adjust in the team, or if you play overseas or play Test cricket, you need to play with five bowlers. Among those five bowlers, your fifth bowler will be your all-rounder, who can bat and bowl both. Whether we talk about one-day cricket or T20 cricket, he [Shadab] can adjust himself in all three formats,” added Sarfaraz.
Notably, earlier this year in March, Shadab was given the responsibility of leading the Pakistan side in the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. However, it turned out to be a moment of disappointment for the Men in Green as they suffered a historic defeat, losing the series 2-1 under Shadab’s captaincy.
