Pakistan Cricket Board is facing a backlash from the country's former players for controversially removing Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain in all formats of the game.
Under the new regime led by the chief selector and head coach Misbah Ul Haq, Pakistan now has new Test and T20I skippers in Azhar Ali and Babar Azam, respectively, with a decision on the ODI captaincy to be taken in due course.
Read Also: PCB had offered Sarfaraz Ahmed chance to make a graceful exit, says reports
Sarfaraz might not be picked as a wicketkeeper batsman for the next month's tour of Australia either.
"Azhar’s appointment as Test captain is okay but if the Board wanted to appoint Babar as white-ball captain, they should have first groomed him as I fear the burden of T20 captaincy will affect his batting," former captain Javed Miandad was quoted as saying by PTI.
Former wicketkeeper batsman and ex-chief selector Moin Khan said: "He (Sarfaraz) took Pakistan to number one in T20 cricket and he is a fighter. This is a decision taken in haste and it could also affect the career of Babar."
"He (Sarfaraz) has shown himself to be a fine captain and yes he was struggling a bit for form but when a senior player is under pressure you have to encourage and back him, not dump him like this."
Former captain Rashid Latif was extremely critical of the board for specifically appointing young Babar as the leader in T20Is.
"He(Babar) is a selfish player and we have seen this in international cricket and now in the national T20 championship. Sarfaraz is not a selfish captain and sacrificed his position many times for the team. He did not deserve this treatment," Latif said.
Neither Aqib Javed, the former pacer, hold back his emotions at the turn of events. "I don’t know from where these decisions are coming but they make no sense at all to me," he said. "Sarfaraz should have been relieved as Test captain but the Board should have given him some time as captain of white-ball cricket."
However, former opening batsman turned commentator Ramiz Raza called the board's decision "brave" and lashed hard at people supporting Sarfaraz despite his poor form for a while.
"We were struggling in Test cricket, we did not reach semifinals of the World Cup. We lost to a Sri Lankan ‘B’ team in T20 cricket and his own form is on a decline."
"I think the Board acted properly by investing in a young player in the white-ball formats. If Babar develops into a good leader he can also become Test captain," Ramiz concluded.
(Inputs from PTI)
