ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's banned captain Sarfraz Ahmed hopes his four-match suspension will not deny him the opportunity to lead his country in the World Cup in England later this year.
"The decision is with the Pakistan Cricket Board, but I have got positive vibes about it that I will be the captain for the World Cup," Sarfraz told reporters in the southern port city of Karachi on Sunday.
The PCB has a policy of naming the captain on a series to series basis.
Sarfraz witnessed the third and final Twenty20 match between Pakistan's women and the West Indies as the home team won it by 12 runs, but lost the series 2-1.
Sarfraz has successfully led the world's No. 1-ranked Pakistan team in the Twenty20 format since being named captain in 2016. He also captained Pakistan to a historic victory in the Champions Trophy in England in 2017 when Pakistan was ranked at No. 8 in the eight-team event.
Last month, the ICC suspended Sarfraz for four matches under its anti-racism code for a an on-field taunt aimed at South Africa allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo.
He returned home and the PCB handed over the captaincy to Shoaib Malik for the two one-day internationals and three-match Twenty20 series.
In the incident, Sarfraz, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, was heard on a stump microphone saying in Urdu: "Hey black man, where is your mother sitting today? What (prayer) have you got her to say for you today?"
He made a public apology and also apologized in person to Phehlukwayo ahead of the third ODI last week. But the ICC still found him guilty and banned him for the last two one-day games and the first two T20s.
PCB chairman Ehsan Mani reportedly criticized the ICC for handing Sarfraz the punishment after the cricket board and the Pakistan captain "had cleared the air."
Sarfraz said the word "black" was played up in the media while Phehlukwayo had reservations about the words used by the Pakistan captain about his mother.
"Only one word was played up in the media," Sarfraz said.
"He (Phehlukwayo) told me that I used wrong words about his mother, but I told him that being a Muslim we believe that whatever success we achieve it's because of our mother's prayers and that I did not use the words in the wrong context."
Sarfraz said that even the manager of the South Africa team, who was present at the time, endorsed his explanation to Phehlukwayo.
Sarfraz has been quite vocal behind the stumps, which sometimes attracts criticism.
But Sarfraz said he won't change.
"My nature won't ever change and all those who have covered me since I played at club level know it very well," Sarfraz said. "I do the captaincy like that, I talk a lot behind the stumps."
Pakistan has won two major ICC tournaments — the 1992 World Cup and the 2017 Champions Trophy — during Muslims' fasting month of Ramadan.
This year too, the World Cup will start during Ramadan and Sarfraz said it could bode well for Pakistan again.
"Ramadan is always good for the Pakistan team whether it's 1992 World Cup or the Champions Trophy," he said with a smile.
Sarfraz hopes ban won't stop from him leading Pakistan in World Cup
Sarfraz hopes ban won't stop from him leading Pakistan in World Cup
- He was banned for four matches for his behind-the-stump remarks for S. African cricketer
- PCB chairman criticized ICC for penalizing Sarfraz after he "had cleared the air."
Postecoglou admits taking Nottingham Forest post a ‘bad decision’
- Postecoglou, 60, was appointed as Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor in September
- “There’s no point me blaming it on ‘I didn’t get time’ or anything,” said Postecoglou
LONDON: Ange Postecoglou has said he has only himself to blame for an extraordinarily brief reign as Nottingham Forest manager, with the Australian accepting he made “a bad decision” taking on the job with the Premier League strugglers.
Postecoglou, 60, was appointed as Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor in September.
But infamously impatient Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis sacked Postecoglou just 39 days later, after the experienced manager lost six of his eight games in charge.
Postecoglou, reflecting on his time at Forest for the Overlap podcast, said an over-eagerness to get back into management after his departure from Tottenham Hotspur three months earlier, had been the root cause of his troubles at the City Ground.
“There’s no point me blaming it on ‘I didn’t get time’ or anything,” said Postecoglou. “I should never have gone in there. That was on me. That was a bad decision by me to go in there. I’ve got to take ownership of that.
“It was too soon after Tottenham. I was taking over at a time where they were kind of used to doing things a certain way and I’m obviously going to do things differently. I’ve got to cop that, that was my mistake. It’s no-one else’s fault.”
Postecoglou remains without a club but he has ruled out returning to Celtic, where he enjoyed a successful two-year stint from 2021-23, with the 73-year-old Martin O’Neill currently in caretaker charge of the Scottish champions until the end of the season.
“I loved Celtic, it’s a wonderful football club,” said Postecoglou, who left the Glasgow giants to join Spurs. “If I was younger, I probably would have stayed there longer. I probably would have stayed there three, four years.
“I think I could have made progress with them in Europe but at the time, it had taken me a long time to get to this sort of space, and the opportunity to join Tottenham was too good.
“In terms of going back, I don’t go back. I just don’t think that’s kind of been my career.
“Whatever the next step is, it’ll be something new, somewhere I can make an impact in, somewhere I can win things, but it doesn’t diminish the affection I have for Celtic.”
