5 reasons why Sarfraz Ahmed can become a great captain

#1 Natural captain since U-19 days

Sarfraz's leadership traits have been evident right from his formative years. In 2006, he became the first captain to successfully defend the U-19 Cricket World Cup.

Pakistan had won the previous edition in 2004 under Khalid Latif's captaincy. Their chances of replicating the feat in 2006 took a massive hit when they were bundled out for a meager total of 109 by India.

However, Sarfraz injected belief into the demoralised bunch by insisting that they had the fire-power to defend the paltry score. The skipper supported his fast bowlers by giving them aggressive field-placements at the beginning of the innings. Anwar Ali duly proceeded to bowl the spell of his life and routed a dangerous Indian batting lineup for just 71 runs.

Extra Cover: India's 2006 under-19 World Cup squad - Where are they now?

An 'amazed' Mansoor Rana, who served as Pakistan coach during the 2006 tournament, gave an indication of things to come. Following the team's miraculous victory in the title clash, he said, "Sarfraz has a bright future because captaining the side here has shown that he has what it takes to lead at a higher level and he is already the captain of a first-class team."

Almost a decade later, the former Pakistan batsman's words have become a self-fulfilling prophecy.