International cricketer Rumman Raees couldn't understand the ouster of Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain despite leading Pakistan to a maiden Champions Trophy triumph in 2017 and 11 consecutive T20I series wins.
Speaking in a YouTube podcast, Rumman accepted that injustice was done to the former captain who is still considered as one of the most successful Pakistani captains.
"The one who has won you Champions Trophy, took the team from number seven to three in Tests, from number seven to one and two in ODIs and from number six to one in T20Is, and under his captaincy Pakistan won a record 11 consecutive T20I series, how can you remove him as captain on the basis of one bad series?" questioned the left-arm pacer who made his international debut under the captaincy of Sarfaraz.
"You didn't just remove him from captaincy but also dropped him. And when you brought him back, he had to wait for four years to play his first international match. What sort of justice is this?" he asked.
Sarfaraz was reportedly forced to step down from his captaincy back in 2019 after Pakistan were knocked out of ICC World Cup that year. He didn't agree to the conditions, put forward by the then PCB set-up led by Ehsan Mani, and continued leading Pakistan against Sri Lanka during the home tour.
Pakistan won the ODI series 2-0 but got whitewashed in three-match T20I series. As a result, Sarfaraz was sacked and it sparked massive controversy. Sarfaraz's poor performance was presented as the reason behind his ouster.
Earlier this year, Sarfaraz made a comeback to Test cricket at home against New Zealand. He scored a match-saving century for Pakistan and made his case stronger.
- Sarfaraz Ahmed