ISLAMABAD: Former cricketers hailed the appointment of Sarfraz Ahmed as the T20 skipper following Pakistan’s dismal performances at the Asia Cup and World Twenty20.

Pakistan exited both tournaments at the first round, leading Shahid Afridi to step down as captain of the team in the game’s shortest format.

That saw vice-captain Sarfraz elevated as skipper of the team on Tuesday.

Sarfraz remains vice-captain of the of the One-day International team and while Abdul Qadir and Ramiz Raja called for making Sarfraz captain for all three formats, Aamir Sohail was of the view that the responsibility on the 28-year-old’s shoulders should be added gradually.

“I fully back Imran Khan’s suggestion to make Sarfraz captain in all three formats and believe he can be a good captain,” former leg-spinner Qadir said.

“Imran is a player who will always be remembered for leading Pakistan to the World Cup in 1992 therefore his words matter a lot.”

Qadir, however, said that he is disappointed with the coach Waqar Younis and Afridi who did not take the responsibility for Pakistan recent performances.

Ramiz, meanwhile, hoped Sarfraz would learn from Indian captain M.S. Dhoni who has overseen the rise of the Indian team over the last decade.

“Sarfraz was a natural choice for T20 captain and I believe he can learn a lot from Dhoni, who is also a class wicket-keeper,” he said.

The former captain said Sarfraz was also the best man to be handed over the captaincy of the Test side when Misbah-ul-Haq announces his expected retirement after the England series in July.

“In that case, the PCB should act swiftly and make Sarfraz the Test captain too,” he said. “He gives his 100% to the team and I have never seen him complaining on his batting position. He has all the qualities and with time he will improve as a captain,” he added.

He said Sarfraz needs to focus on his keeping without taking the pressure of being the captain.

“One hopes that the pressure of captaincy does not affect his skills,” he said.

Aamir, meanwhile, said Sarfraz should be given time to settle down as T20 captain before giving him further responsibility.

“I am not against giving him captaincy of all three teams but I’d like to see it given to him gradually,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2016