ICC World Cup 2019: No Regrets On Bowling First: Sarfaraz Ahmed On Imran Khan’s Toss Advice
Published - 23 Jun 2019, 02:36 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:00 AM
Table of Contents
Pakistan Cricket Team have been at the heart of criticism following their humiliating defeat against India on June 16 at the Old Trafford in Manchester. Skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed has received severe backlash for opting to bowl first despite the wicket being ideal for batting. However, Sarfaraz has admitted that it was a collective decision and he has no regret for that.
It was a collective decision: Sarfaraz
India produced an outstanding batting effort after putting into bat first. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma capitalised on the flat wicket on display before skipper Virat Kohli joined the party. The Men in Blues posted 336 runs from their quota of 50 overs with a century from Rohit Sharma and fifties from Rahul and Kohli. Mohammad Amir helped Pakistan in the last five overs to contain the score within 350.
Also read: Mohammed Shami Reveals MS Dhoni’s Advice Just Before His Hat-Trick
A little bit of rain during the break made things tough for Pakistan as World Cup debutant Vijay Shankar provided an early breakthrough after Bhuvneshwar Kumar walked out with a hamstring pull. Babar Azam and Fakhar Azam tried to steer their team to a win, but Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya chipped in with wickets to seal the tie in the rain-marred encounter. Soon after the game, the whole Pakistan team came under severe criticism for not playing the game with the right intensity.
Sarfaraz Ahmed had to face a lot of questions with his on-field decisions. Reportedly, former Pakistan skipper and current Prime Minister had told the Pakistan skipper to bat first considering England produce good batting wicket. The fans took a dig at Sarfaraz for not obeying Imran’s advice. Finally, the wicket-keeper batsman has opened his mouth on the same and admitted that he has no regrets over the decision. Moreover, Sarfaraz said that it was a collective decision, and all the players wanted to bowl first.
Also read: ICC World Cup 2019: Sachin Tendulkar Unhappy With MS Dhoni And Kedar Jadhav’s Slow Partnership
“I don’t have any regret on bowling first. Imran bhai had told me to take decision according to conditions. It was a collective decision. Everyone in the team wanted to bowl first,” Sarfaraz said.
Sarfaraz Ahmed says no regrets about bowling first against India despite Imran Khan's advice #CWC19 #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/UhmYbPccPc
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) June 22, 2019
About the Author
I am an accountant by qualification, my parents thought their obedient son would study further to be... Read more
