Arthur expresses complete faith in under-fire skipper

DUBAI: In a recent meeting with Ehsan Mani, Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), I asked him about the various decisions that were taken before him.

He didn’t seem happy with many of them but appeared satisfied with the decision of appointing Sarfraz Ahmed as Pakistan’s captain till next summer’s World Cup in England.The way things have been going at the under-progress Asia Cup in the UAE, he might be forced to rethink his stance.

Sarfraz has come under tremendous fire over his failure to inspire Pakistan in the Asia Cup. He and his team came into the six-nation contest as favourites for the title but so far their performance has been really below par, to say the least.

Pakistan’s batting has shown a clear lack of imagination while the bowlers have failed to click either. And about their catching, the less said the better.A good leader has to take responsibility. Sarfraz reaped the benefits when Pakistan swam against the tide to win the ICC Champions Trophy in England last. Now that his team has been cut down to size by India in back-to-back Asia Cup games in Dubai, he could be made to pay the price.

Unless Pakistan rise up and beat Bangladesh in their last Super Fours game in Abu Dhabi to qualify for the final and then turn the tide against the Indians in the title clash the way they did at The Oval last June, Sarfraz’s captaincy will remain under pressure.

For Pakistan to do that, Sarfraz will have to lead from the front. So far in the Asia Cup he hasn’t done that. And that’s why he is at the centre of a storm ignited by Pakistan’s meek performances against India.

Sarfraz’s latest blunder in the eyes of his critics was his decision to bat first in Sunday’s Super Fours game against India. Even Kevin Pietersen, who has played for Sarfraz’s Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), was baffled by the decision.

“Pakistan HAVE TO win this game having chosen to bat first. If they don’t, the flood gates will open on Sarfraz & HIS decision!,” tweeted KP soon after Sarfraz elected to bat after winning the toss. They went on to lose the game by nine wickets.

However, the under-fire Sarfraz received a big vote of confidence from his coach Mickey Arthur, who stressed after Sunday’s defeat that he has complete faith in the wicketkeeper-batsman’s ability to lead Pakistan.

“I have heard from the outside how we should’ve bowled first here, bat first there, but honestly, we look at how best we can win,” Arthur old reporters in a post-match press conference on Sunday night.

“Sarfraz is great, his captaincy is growing,” he said, when asked if pressure was weighing Sarfraz down.“I’ve had the privilege to work with two outstanding captains (Graeme Smith and Michael Clarke), he’s the third. He’s a learning captain, the only one I’ve seen having a balance between on the field and off the field. Yes, we sit and debrief after every game in terms of tactics, he’s developing into a very, very good captain for Pakistan without a doubt,” Arthur added.