Sarfaraz’s reign as captain faces uncertain future

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s future as Pakistan’s captain appears to be up in the air, with a PCB spokesperson stating that they intend to name captains on a “series to series basis.”

Speaking to Cricbuzz, a PCB spokesperson said on Wednesday: “We never revealed the length of Sarfraz Ahmed’s tenure.

“We never said whether he was going to stay [as a captain] for one or two years. The PCB appoints captain on a series to series basis, and, as such, appointment for the series post PSL will be made in due course.”

Sarfaraz is currently serving a four-match suspension after he was found guilty of making racist comments against South Africa’s Andile Phehlukwayo during the second ODI between the sides in Durban.

“We can forgive but that doesn’t mean we brush it under the table.”

Faf du Plessis responds to Sarfaraz Ahmed’s racially charged comments.

Full story ?https://t.co/80PRIVQh7B

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 25, 2019

Shoaib Malik stood in as Sarfaraz’s replacement during Pakistan’s eight-wicket victory in the 4^th ODI, and is currently fulfilling the role in the ongoing decider at Cape Town, with the series tied at 2-2.

Despite leading Pakistan to victory in the 2017 Champions Trophy, Sarfaraz’s side endured a disappointing 2018 in ODI cricket. While they enjoyed a comfortable 5-0 series win over Zimbabwe in July, the year began with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of New Zealand, and September’s Asia Cup saw them succumb to two crushing defeats at the hands of India, as well as a 37-run loss to Bangladesh.

Sarfaraz’s apology has itself come under criticism. https://t.co/XD5fpI41Ca

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 23, 2019

Pakistan’s Test form has also been poor of late, with consecutive series defeats suffered at the hands of New Zealand and South Africa.

[breakout id=”0″][/breakout]With the 50-overs World Cup set to begin in just over four months, Pakistan have two limited-overs assignments left before the tournament, an ODI series against Australia in March-April to be followed by a one-off T20I and five ODIs against England in May.