Should Sarfaraz Get a Chance Over Rizwan in 3rd England Test?

Mohammad Rizwan’s performance has been under scrutiny since the start of the ongoing Test series against England, and now questions are being raised about his place in the team.

During the ongoing series, Rizwan has scored 115 runs at an average of 28.75, and former cricketers are urging Babar Azam to include Sarfaraz Ahmad in the playing XI for the third Test.

Rizwan, who was in the form of his life in 2021, had ups and downs in both red and white-ball cricket this year, and his inclusion as an opening batter in T20I was also questioned in the cricket fraternity.

During the year, 2022, the right-hander appeared in seven Test matches and scored 375 runs at an average of 34.09, including a century. He has played five of the seven matches at home.

Sarfaraz Ahmad has not played red-ball cricket for Pakistan since 2019, but his performance in the domestic circuit appears to show that he can still represent the country in Tests.

Sarfaraz remained one of the key players for the Sindh team in the National T20, leading the team to their first-ever title. He scored 209 runs in 10 innings, with a strike rate of 129.81 and an average of 29.85.

The former captain also performed admirably in the recently concluded Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022/23, scoring 394 runs in 10 innings with an average of 43.77, including one century and three fifties.

Overall, Sarfaraz has played 49 Test and scored 2,657 runs at an average of 36.39, including three centuries and 18 fifties, while Rizwan has played 26 matches with 1,347 runs to his name at an average of 39.61, including two centuries and seven fifties.

Both wicket-keeper batters hold a similar record in the longest format of the game. Here’s a comparison:

Mohammad Rizwan’s lean patch in red-ball cricket and Sarfaraz’s stats in recent domestic tournaments suggest that the latter should once again get a chance in Test cricket even if one of them has to play as a batter only.