Sarfaraz refuses to resign

ISLAMABAD: Sarfaraz Ah­m­ed refused to oblige after being given the option to resign from the captaincy ahead of the fresh announcements on Friday.

A well-placed source told ‘The News’ that top officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) met Sarfaraz in Faisalabad Friday and gave him the option to resign considering his services for the game of cricket in recent times.

The former Pakistan captain was clearly told that the PCB had made up its mind to not only remove him from captaincy but to drop him from the Test and T20 teams touring Australia following his poor show in recent times.

“Your form, fitness and performance in recent times have left us with no option but to replace you as a captain and to drop you from the touring party. Considering your tremendous services we give you the option to voluntarily resign from the post of captaincy ahead of our announcement that will be followed soon,” a leading PCB official, who traveled to Faisalabad, told him.

Sarfaraz, however, refused to oblige, saying that he had no mood to resign and it was up to the PCB to decide whatever it wanted. “I am not going to resign. You may decide whatever you want regarding my captaincy and my future association with the team,” Sarfaraz said.

After his refusal, the PCB came out with the decision to remove him as captain from all formats and to drop him from the touring party. Later, Sarfaraz said it had been an honour to lead Pakistan at the highest level.

“I want to thank all my colleagues, coaches and selectors who helped me during this journey. My good wishes are with Azhar Ali, Babar Azam and the Pakistan cricket team, and I hope they will continue to grow stronger and stronger.”