Daily Times

ABU DHABI: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has said that he will step aside from captaincy duties if the team loses because of his mistakes. Pressure is sure to increase on Safraz as his role as captain comes under closer scrutiny. He has now lost five of his ten Tests as skipper, with four wins and a draw, but he said it is not the right time to leave the post. “Look, when it (defeat) happens then one thinks on that captaincy,” said Sarfraz during the post-match conference after the third Test against New Zealand. “But before an important tour of South Africa if you think like that, then it’s not beneficial for the team. If I think that I am making mistakes and if the Pakistan team is not winning because of me, then I will think about getting away from it. And if there is someone else who is better suited for the captaincy of the Pakistan team, then I will do.” Pakistan captain Sarfraz admitted his team spurned good chances in both defeats – first and third Test match against the Kiwis in UAE. “It’s a very disappointing series loss for us,” said the Pakistan captain, whose team has now lost three consecutive Tests at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. “We had our chances but we could not grab them. If you talk of the first Test we bowled them out for a low score but did not take a big lead. Here too we did not take a big lead and had to pay for that.”

The Pakistan skipper lamented the lack of application from the Pakistan batsmen but he was not keen on transferring the blame onto the coaching staff – for the poor show with the bat during the three-match Test series against New Zealand. “The head coach has his job, the batting coach has his, but it’s the responsibility of the players as well,” he said. “Mentally, we have to be strong as a batting unit. Before the series, I had said that it’s the responsibility of the batsmen. The batting coach does his job. He tells them the basic faults and helps them improve their technique. But if the batsman is in form then he has to carry that form.” New Zealand head home to start a two-Test series against Sri Lanka next week while Pakistan have one one-day warm-up match in South Africa before starting the first of three Tests in Centurion on December 26.

Published in Daily Times, December 9^th 2018.