LAHORE: Owing to clumsy Kamran Akmal whose immensely dismal action behind the stumps added to Pakistan’s agony in Sydney, young wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed is likely to go to Australia for representing the national team in the third Test starting in Hobart on Jan 14.
Pakistan suffered a stunning batting collapse on the fourth day of the second Test in Sydney on Wednesday to lose the match by 36 runs while chasing 176 runs for victory, and the three-Test series 2-0.
Kamran, a solid batsman, who has been criticised heavily for dropping at least four catches besides missing one run-out chance in Sydney, costing Pakistan the Test from a winning position, is likely to be axed for the third Test to be replaced by Sarfraz.Kamran’s poor glovework has been under the spotlight for quite some time.
The keeper, recently named the national vice-captain, has spilled several catches besides squandering stumping chances at crucial junctures for a considerable period of time.
Meanwhile, the national selection committee headed by Iqbal Qasim held a brief meeting in Karachi to assess the national team’s performance in the third Test and decided to send Sarfraz.
The committee, sources said, while expressing its concerns over the team’s pathetic performance in Sydney on Wednesday, was of the view that the best available players were in Australia.
Iqbal will be in Lahore on Thursday to meet Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt to discuss the reasons behind the stunning defeat.
The chief selector, sources said, would request Ijaz to probe the Sydney debacle.
Sarfraz is likely to leave for Australia by Saturday, after the PCB chief’s approval in Thursday’s meeting.
In the meantime, sources said, selection of the national team for the forthcoming One-day International and Twenty20 series against Australia, which had to be named on Thursday, had been delayed indefinitely as the selectors wanted major changes in the team by dropping several underperforming players.
To get the approval of the PCB chairman, Iqbal would be discussing all the players before announcing the team.
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