Those Pesky What ifs — A Dust Settling Viewpoint with Hindsight
By: Waqas Ahmed
Tags: Journalism, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Cricket, Sports, Pakistan

Kids — This is what a divorce looks like

“The problem comes with the captain, he didn’t have a great year, he’s not had a great 18 months but he’s captained the side to number one in the world, so he has to stay” — If I was from the other end of the spectrum, I would’ve surely resonated this snippet on my Twitter feed which, for all its intended purposes, would’ve resulted in exactly on how it sounds. Surprisingly though, it does come from one of the most respected cricket voices in the world today and since I hold Nasser’s opinion in high regard, I am not going to decontextualize something which he said only moments after England failed to chase down 145 on a day 4 Abu Dhabi pitch.

Much like Andrew Strauss in 2012, for whom the above quote was articulated, Sarfaraz too had found himself in a similar predicament for the last 18 months. He was part of a team that had come from the depths of despair in limited overs cricket, under a management which totally revamped the way we played the white ball game. However, I must also painfully admit that the only compounding liability in the team for the duration of those one & half years has been none other than Sarfaraz himself.

Contrary to how I normally assess a player, indulging in stats is pointless right now, those parameters are publicly available and the topic has been beaten to death. I will although, look at Sarfaraz’s failing in making a decision for himself, which not only would’ve saved us the current friction but also enabled a smoother transition to this current era.

When Andrew Strauss lost all semblance of form in early 2012, a period when the English Test team despite their 0–3 loss to Pakistan retained the #1 spot, he only stuck around for another 7 months — duly submitting his retirement from all forms of the game in subsequent late English summer. Funnily enough Sarfaraz was handed a much more tranquil opportunity when Pakistan were returning from their WC19 & the general sentiment around the team was that of, rain playing spoilsport to Pakistan’s plans.

A resignation under these circumstances would’ve given both Sarfaraz & Pakistan a much easier exit on multiple fronts. Firstly it would’ve conveniently resulted in a non-friction end to the relationship and (b) it would’ve helped keep options open for both Sarfaraz and Pakistan because the benefit of having a non-sacked captain is that he can be brought back if and when (please excuse my language) shit hits fan.

Right now Pakistan & Sarfaraz has had a very strained divorce which not only is bad for the player but also bad for the board since essentially there’s no going back from such a predicament, at least not in the immediate future. PCB now has to entirely rely on Babar Azam to keep things afloat in LOIs, while even if the castle comes crashing down & our rankings take a beating because as it stands, it would look even more foolish to go back to a player that was sacked only a few series ago.

The lack for foresight by the PCB and their failure to either enact this policy right after the WC once again proves that the board is still completely reactionary to a crisis and does not have the vision to see through a transition. In addition, it also paints a dire picture on how Pakistan cricket has had no contingency for Sarfaraz’s failure for nearly 3 odd years, and only months before a world T20 tournament are they changing the leadership roles of the team.

With all that said & for what it’s worth, Sarfaraz’s ouster undeniably gives full operational control to the new management led by Misbah & based on the primary component of his selection by the board (linear accountability) all results going forward, whether wins or loses, should be credited to him. His recommendations to the PCB have now fully relieved every aspect of the previous management and there should be no doubts as to who’s in charge in the dressing room. If the last match pressers are any indication, these next couple of seasons could potentially be a bumpy ride with a bygone era being thrust upon a team that would’ve done well without the baggage of the current administration.

As far as Sarfaraz goes, his sacking does make sense (at least statistically). However, a much more convenient resolution could’ve been reached had either party provided the other with an exit which, not only would’ve benefited Pakistan but also, for once, given the board a convenient escape route in case things didn’t go to plan.