According to Indian commentator and journalist Harsha Bhogle, Sarfaraz Ahmed will have to earn his place in the Pakistan test team. Harsha believes that Mohammad Rizwan has been exceptional and has cemented his role in the squad. Pakistan is set to play three test matches against England and three T20 internationals next month, announcing a 29 member squad for the tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the squad was announced, there has been a debate in the cricketing fraternity regarding the wicket-keeper slot. Should Rizwan continue or should former captain Sarfaraz take the spot. According to the famed Indian commentator, the men in green should stick with Rizwan as the wicket-keeper. He adds:
I always had a lot of time for Sarfaraz as a player. I thought he was a genuine batsman. But in recent times, Rizwan has come along and has got some really good scores in limited-overs cricket. He was part of that big partnership with Babar Azam in Australia, so he has shown that he can play. It is now up to Sarfaraz to come back into the side and displace the incumbent. The incumbent is now Rizwan, which is very clear. Sarfaraz is a really good player and there is a fighter in him. I always thought that Pakistan cricket didn’t get as much out of Sarfaraz as I thought he was capable of.
The former captain Sarfaraz was stripped of the captaincy and dropped from the national side after a string of poor performances. He has proved his mettle in the domestic circuit since then and is challenging the wicket-keeping slot once again.
Mohammad Rizwan has been a good alternative in his place, although he has only played 6 test matches so far, he has a healthy average of 32.1 and has the highest score of 95 against Australia.
Who would you choose as Pakistan’s wicket-keeper in the test series? Let us know in the comments below.