Sarfaraz Ahmed Vows Not to Blame Players for Pakistan’s Poor England Tour

LONDON:Pakistan head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed has refused to put the blame solely on players following the team’s disappointing performance and poor batting display during the ongoing tour of England.

Speaking at a press conference at the end of the second day’s play in the Lord’s Test, Sarfaraz said he would stand by his players during difficult times and that decisions about the squad would be made only after the series.

“The players have not performed well, but that does not mean I will put all the blame on them,” Sarfaraz said.

He described the current squad as Pakistan’s team comprising some of the country’s best players. He pointed out that Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha had also delivered performances in the past, although they were currently struggling to score runs.

“As head coach, I stand with them. After the series, we will sit down, discuss things and then decide who should stay and who should be left out,” he said.

Sarfaraz acknowledged that Pakistan’s batting was currently facing problems. He said the team’s recurring issue was that when the batting performed well, the bowling tended to struggle, and vice versa.

“I admit that there are problems with our batting. These are all good players and they are working very hard. Unfortunately, the results are not going in our favour,” he said.

The head coach stressed that Pakistan’s cricket team was a professional outfit and that players would have to improve their performances if the team was to maintain its international standing.

“If Pakistan cricket has to maintain its identity at the international level according to global standards, the players will have to perform, play first-class cricket and work on their weaknesses. This is essential,” he added.

Sarfaraz also accepted full responsibility for the team’s performance as head coach.

“As head coach, I take complete responsibility for the team’s performance. I will not blame anyone,” he said.