Pakistan's head coach Waqar Younis has rubbished reports claiming that the exclusion of Sarfraz Ahmed from the two Twenty20s against Sri Lanka was part of a ‘conspiracy’ to sideline the 28-year-old wicketkeeper.
Sarfraz’s exclusion caused a stir among the cricketing circles in the country and forced Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Executive Committee chairman Najam Sethi to release a statement seeking explanation from the team management.
But Waqar, who faced a similar questions when Sarfraz was kept on the bench for the opening phase of Pakistan's 2015 World Cup campaign, refused to be drawn into any controversy and said the decision to drop a particular player was always taken with mutual agreement of the members of the touring selection committee.
“In T20 cricket, a team combination is always drawn after assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition,” Waqar told BBC Urdu in an interview.
“So, not only Sarfraz but each player who is not picked for a particular game is a given a reason for their exclusion. The player is always taken into confidence in such matters,” he added.
According to Waqar, Sarfraz remained a key player for Pakistan and earmarked him as the next T20 captain.
The 43-year-old former paceman expressed disappointment at reports suggesting that Sarfraz had been kept out of the team at the behest of the coach.
“Holding a grudge against Sarfraz or any other player would mean I am against my country,” he said, adding that people in Pakistan should focus on the team's recent achievements instead of creating controversy.
Pakistan clinched the Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka in a sensational last-over finish by one wicket to on Saturday, capping a successful tour where they also won the Test series 2-1 and ODIs 3-2.
Upon his return from Sri Lanka, Sarfraz, who played a vital role in the Test and ODI wins, said he had no issues with being dropped from the team.
“I have no issues if I am rested because of team requirements. I am not a part of the tour selection committee. My job is to give my best performances whenever I play and I always try to do that.”
The wicketkeeper from Karachi has played 18 Tests for Pakistan, scoring 1157 runs at an impressive average of 50.30. As an extremely reliable wicketkeeper, he has 50 dismissals to his credit.
In ODIs, he has notched up 839 runs from 49 games and has 58 dismissals.
