Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former Pakistan captain, has posted a cryptic message on Twitter, seemingly in response to intense criticism from fans after an error against England in the third T20I.

The wicketkeeper had the opportunity to dismiss Moeen Ali when he was on 7, when Moeen strayed out of the crease and the ball ended up with Sarfaraz. However, despite seemingly having plenty of time, Sarfaraz failed to cleanly grasp the ball and execute the stumping.

Sarfaraz, who was playing his first match on tour, watched on as Moeen went on to score a fine 33-ball 61 and take England to the brink of victory.

Haris Rauf pulled off a last-ball yorker to earn Pakistan their win on tour, but that didn’t stop the backlash on Sarfaraz. In a possible consequence, he took to Twitter. His Urdu text, loosely translated, blames misunderstandings for the criticism he’s facing.

Azhar Ali, the Pakistan Test captain, has since cited Sarfaraz’s tweet, and publicly backed the former captain to come good again. He said: “Bhayya you have so many fans including me you will answer small number of people with your performance InshA Allah u have done so much in past for Pakistan and you will in future thanks for giving positive energy throughout the tour… stay strong [sic].”

Sarfaraz was Pakistan’s captain till October last year, leading the side to the title at the Champions Trophy 2017, famously beating old rivals India in the final.

However, following World Cup 2019, where Pakistan failed to make the semi-finals, the Pakistan Cricket Board overhauled the set-up, axing Mickey Arthur as head coach.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the former captain, was named the new coach-cum-selector, but under the new set-up, Sarfaraz was axed as captain and has faced a fight to regain his spot in the side, with Mohammad Rizwan taking his place behind the stumps.

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EnglandPakistan Moeen AliSarfaraz AhmedEngland v PakistanInternational CricketSeries Editorial