Sarfaraz Ahmed To Remain In Top Central Contract

Finally, there comes one good news for Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was recently sacked from the captaincy of Test and T20I formats of the game. Despite removing from the captaincy role and from the team, he will remain in the top category of central contracts.

On Friday, the board sacked the Pakistan cricketer from captaincy in Test and T20I format of the game. The board asked the youngster Babar Azam and the Test specialist Azhar Ali to take the role for Pakistan.

There will be no change in contract – PCB Spokesperson

Dismissing rumours that the board had decided to relegate Sarfaraz to a lower category, a PCB spokesperson said Sarfaraz would retain his top category in the central contracts which run till July next year. The ex-skipper will be available for the team across the formats.

“There will be no change in his central contract as he is available for selection in all three formats,” the spokesperson said.

Not only from captaincy but also Sarfaraz also lost his place in the purest and shortest format of the game respectively. However, the former skipper was asked to regain some form in the domestic circuit.

Sarfaraz hasn’t done justice to his reputation with only a solitary fifty-plus score in ODIs, since the 2019 World Cup. In addition, his last T20I half-century came on June 12, 2018. In Tests, he has averaged less than 30 since the start of 2018.

Sarfaraz is most fondly remembered to have guided Pakistan to a stunning ICC Champions Trophy win in 2017. It was where the Men in Green defeated India to clinch the prestigious title. However, shockingly ahead of the ICC World Cup 2020, they removed him from captaincy.

Pakistan will next tour Australia in the upcoming month to lock horns in the shortest format of the game. Babar Azam will officially take charge during the series with a new Keeper behind the stumps.