“Smart decision by Lala”: Shoaib Malik suggests Shahid Afridi to hand Sarfaraz Ahmed an ODI comeback in World Cup year

Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed not only finds himself back into the Pakistani squad but also back into the limelight especially after scoring a determined half-century on the first day of the first Test match against New Zealand yesterday.

Coming in to bat at No. 6 in the 30th over, Ahmed scored a gritty 86 (153) with the help of nine fours in a potentially game-changing 196-run fifth-wicket partnership alongside captain Babar Azam (161). With Pakistan losing four wickets in the first session of the match after Azam won the toss and chose to bat, such a partnership was the need of the hour for them.

Playing an international match after 13 months, a Test match after almost four years and a home Test for the very first time, Ahmed looked his usual calm self in the middle despite him later admitting to be extremely nervous before the lunch break. The fact that the 35-year old kept fighting even after suffering a hip niggle confirmed the importance of this coveted comeback for him.

“You asked me about my feelings when I walked out to bat before lunch. If someone would have checked my heartbeat, the meter would have exploded. Heartbeat was very fast and it felt like my debut. I was playing after a long time and it was also a crunch situation,” an honest Ahmed said during a press conference which was conducted after Stumps, Day 1.

Shoaib Malik suggests Shahid Afridi to hand Sarfaraz Ahmed an ODI comeback in World Cup year

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik took cognizance of Ahmed’s 19th Test half-century. One of the high-profile Pakistani cricketing personalities to express approval of Ahmed’s 11th Test half-century in Asia, Malik took to social media platform Twitter to congratulate both him and Azam for their stand at the National Stadium on Monday.

Malik also suggested former Pakistan captain and current interim chief selector Shahid Afridi to hand an ODI comeback to Ahmed. Readers must note that the upcoming three-match ODI series between Pakistan and New Zealand will be the first one to be played by both the teams in an ICC Cricket World Cup year. Referring to the same, Malik hinted at Ahmed having it in him to contribute in the middle-overs in ODIs.

Ahmed, who has the third-highest batting strike rate against spinners since the start of 2000 (minimum 1,000 Test runs), hasn’t played an ODI in over 21 months. Although Malik’s suggestion isn’t groundless, it will be interesting to see how (if they do) the current team management accommodates Ahmed into the ODI setup.