Former Pakistan quick Shoaib Akhtar feels the team management has disrespected Sarfaraz Ahmed by making him perform 12th-man duties on Day 2 of the first Test against England in Manchester. Sarfaraz, who was appointed Pakistan captain after the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, was sacked after leading the country for almost four years. He was seen carrying drinks and shoes for Shadab Khan during the 71st over and that, Akhtar reckons, is highly disrespectful treatment dished out to a former Pakistan captain.

“I didn’t like the visual. If you want to make an example out of a boy from Karachi, then it is wrong. You can’t do this to a player who has led Pakistan for four years and has won Champions Trophy for the country. You made him carry shoes. If he has done it himself, then stop him. Wasim Akram never brought shoes for me,” Shoaib Akhtar said on Boss News.

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Sarfaraz led Pakistan to the 2017 Champions triumph in England when the team was least expected to. But Pakistan’s failure to narrowly reach the semi-finals of last year’s World Cup hurt Sarfaraz’s credentials as captain and he was removed as captain of all three formats in October last year. Azhar Ali was appointed Test captain and Babar Azam was named T20I skipper, followed by him also taking over in ODIs. 

Akhtar added that he felt Sarfaraz was ‘weak and docile’ to agree to do it and that character must have reflected in the way he led the team during his tenure as captain. “This shows that Sarfaraz is such a docile and weak man. He must have led Pakistan in the same way like he carried shoes. That’s why Mickey Arthur always dominated him. I am not saying carrying the shoes is a problem, but former captain can’t do that,” Akhtar further explained.

However, Misbah-Ul-Haq, Pakistan’s coach and national selector did not read much into Akhtar’s remarks, saying Sarfaraz carrying shoes is not a sign of disrespect and that it only shows how great a team player the former Pakistan captain is.

“Sarfaraz is an excellent human being and player. He knows that it is a team game. When other players are practicing outside, so the player who is available has to help out. It is not a matter of disrespect. In fact, it is big of Sarfaraz that he doesn’t mind doing it. Plus, it is a sign of a good team,” Misbah said.