Former Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, has said that Pakistan should have a strong backup plan for the players because they will be more conscious of their performance when the bench strength is good.
Speaking on Samaa TV, the former all-rounder said that the wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan, has not performed up to mark and that Sarfaraz should have been given an opportunity during the Sri Lanka tour.
You have to keep pressure. The stronger the bench is, the more careful the player will be about his performance. Rizwan hasn’t been performing, and I believe that on tours like this, Sarfaraz could have been given an opportunity.
Since his match-saving century against Australia in the second Test match at National Stadium Karachi, Rizwan, who is ranked second in T20I batting rankings, has not played well, scoring only 0, 19, 40, 24, and 37 in three Tests.
Sarfaraz Ahmad, who last played Test cricket against South Africa, was also added to the squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
Responding to a question regarding Sarfaraz being a Karachi-based cricketer, Afridi stated that this bias about Karachi-Lahore rivalry in cricket is not new.
“The biases about cities is going on for a long time now. Someone will say, ‘this guy is from Karachi, or this guy is from Lahore’ (while talking about selection in the team). I don’t think these things should happen. Insaan ke bacche ban jayen to behtar hai.”
Last month, a reporter asked PCB Chairman, Ramiz Raja, the same question regarding discrimination against Karachi-based cricketers during a visit to Karachi.
