Mohammad Rizwan vs Sarfaraz Ahmed debate settled as Salman Butt names 'better choice' for PAK vs BAN Tests

Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt picked his choice for the wicketkeeper batter between Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed for the first Test against Bangladesh. He backed the former to take the spot because he's a better batter as well as a keeper.

Pakistan are all set to take on Bangladesh in the two-match Test series from next week. The first game will be played in Rawalpindi from 21st August while the second game is scheduled to take place from 30th August in Karachi. The two games will also be part of the ICC World Test Championship.

Going into the first match, the Pakistan National Cricket Team will be having a headache in terms of selecting the team. One of the toughest calls for them to pick will be between Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed for the wicketkeeper-batter's position in the XI.

Both Mohammad and Sarfaraz Ahmed have been decent in the Test format. In the last Test series, the Champions Trophy 2017 winning skipper was preferred but with Rizwan being the regular in the white-ball format, there have been many speculations about who will play.

Salman Butt names his choice between Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed

Salman Butt was asked by one of the fans to name his choice. The former Pakistan National Cricket Team skipper went on to pick Mohammad Rizwan, saying that he is better than Sarfaraz Khan in terms of keeping as well as batting in the longest format of the game.

Salman Butt admitted that Sarfaraz Ahmed is a good player of spin as he tackles spinners well. But according to him, the keeper-batter is getting old as well and Mohammad Rizwan is a far better choice than him to be in the playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he explained:

"I think Rizwan is a better choice there's no doubt about it. There's a big difference in his (and Sarfaraz's) keeping and batting. Yes, Sarfaraz Ahmed tackles spinners well and plays them well. But overall if you see, there's an age difference as well, so I think Rizwan is a far better choice."

Mohammad Rizwan has played 30 Test matches and has scored 1616 runs at an average of over 40 to go with 2 centuries and 5 half-centuries. On the other hand, Sarfaraz Ahmed has scored 3031 runs in 54 games at an average of around 37 along with 4 tons and 21 half-centuries.

Pakistan on the other hand released Abrar Ahmed and uncapped top-order batter Kamran Ghulam from the squad for the first Test against Bangladesh National Cricket Team. This is because they are keen to go with the all-pace attack for the first Test in Rawalpindi.

There were reports which stated that the team had asked the pitch curators to prepare the green pitch for the Rawalpindi Test. This is because Bangladesh batters are good against spinners but can be exploited easily on grassy pitches, giving an advantage to the home team.

With the pitch likely to favor fast bowlers more than spinners, it is likely that Mohammad Rizwan will be getting the nod ahead of Sarfaraz Ahmed.