ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Sarfraz Ahmed admits to his captaincy mistakes against India

What’s the story?

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has admitted his captaincy mistakes in the recently completed ODI against arch-rivals India in the 2017 Champions Trophy. Hoping to learn from his errors as his journey moves along, the 30-year old has urged his team to bounce back in the next match against South Africa.

Sarfraz affirmed, “Jab time bura aata hai to cheezein kharab dikhti hai (When bad times comes, things seem bad). As a captain, I am confident (for the next game) and the team is motivated. We told them in the team meeting that there is no need to take pressure on their game. We hope that the team will bounce back in the tournament.”

He added, “There were some mistakes and we accept. May be I will learn with time. The scenario against India needed a pacer to bowl but we had planned to bowl spinner. But in future, if there is similar situation in the future we will use a fast bowler.”

The background

Amidst massive hype surrounding their fabled rivalry, India and Pakistan locked horns at Edgbaston on Sunday. However, Sarfraz’s troops appeared way out of their depth even as Virat Kohli’s team cruised to a comprehensive 124-run victory (DLS method).

The heart of the matter

Upon winning a handy toss under overcast conditions, Pakistan expectedly chose to bowl first. Even though pacer Mohammad Amir bowled a terrific opening over, Sarfraz began with Imad Wasim from the other end. Relieved that their technique against the moving ball was not scrutinized enough, India’s opening duo of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma duly responded by milking the left-arm spinner for a flurry of ones and twos.

Extra Cover: ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – Shoaib Akhtar slams Sarfraz Ahmed's 'poor captaincy' against India

Another error by the wicket-keeper batsman saw him persist with spin from both ends while counterpart Virat Kohli was still new at the crease. Injuries to Amir and fellow left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz only made matters worse for the skipper as India amassed a formidable total of 319 for the loss of just 3 wickets. Despite rain bringing their equation down to 289 from 41 overs, Pakistan struggled with the bat and were bowled out for 164.

What’s next?

Although their net run-rate took a battering as a result of the defeat against India, Pakistan still have a chance to reach the semi-finals if they win their remaining 2 matches. They take on South Africa next at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Author’s take

Accepting one's mistakes becomes an integral part of any captain's journey. Sarfraz would have certainly learnt a lot from his maiden match as skipper against India. It will be interesting to see how he marshals his troops during the game against South Africa.