“We want Saifi”: Sarfaraz Ahmed fans demand his comeback as Pakistan scramble in Karachi Test vs England

Pakistan vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan’s repeated failures in Test cricket are making former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed’s case stronger with respect to an international comeback.

Part of the current Test squad, Ahmed hasn’t played a Test match in almost four years now. Not part of Pakistan’s white-ball squads anymore, Ahmed’s last international match dates back to November 2021.

In addition to losing his captaincy to current captain Babar Azam, Ahmed had lost his Test spot to Rizwan. Not that the 30-year old player hasn’t grabbed opportunities in this format but his recent returns don’t justify his spot in this Pakistani XI.

Since scoring his last Test century against Australia earlier this year, Rizwan has scored 262 runs in 12 innings at a substandard average of 21.83. Rizwan, who has wasted starts time and again in this period, hasn’t been able to touch the 50-run mark even once because of the same.

Sarfaraz Ahmed fans demand his comeback as Pakistan scramble in Karachi Test vs England

Just as England were thrashing Pakistan in the third session on the third day of the third Test match this evening, loud chants demanding Ahmed’s international comeback had started to do the rounds at the National Stadium, Karachi. With Pakistan almost certain of getting whitewashed tomorrow morning, Pakistani fans are bound to express disappointment.

For the unversed, it is not for the first time that Pakistani fans have made their presence felt inside a stadium in this series. Surprisingly, even Azam was ridiculed during the second Test match in Multan.

Ahmed, 35, meanwhile, scored a century and a half-century in his last two first-class innings respectively. Playing under Saud Shakeel for Sindh in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23, Ahmed has scored 394 runs in 10 innings at an average of 43.77 including a century and three half-centuries.

With Pakistan scheduled to host New Zealand for a two-match Test series starting later this month, it will be interesting to see if Ahmed finds a spot in the Playing XI or not.