Arthur dismisses rumours of rift with Sarfraz Ahmed

Rumours regarding the state of Arthur and Sarfraz’s relationship have been rumbling since October, when Arthur was perceived as criticising Sarfraz’s captaincy when he suggested that Sarfraz relied on senior players too often

Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has responded to reports of a rift between him and captain Sarfraz Ahmed after their innings victory in the second Test against New Zealand on Tuesday.

Rumours regarding the state of Arthur and Sarfraz’s relationship have been rumbling since October, when Arthur was perceived as criticising Sarfraz’s captaincy when he suggested that Sarfraz relied on senior players too often.

“I was so disappointed when people were saying there was a rift between Saffy (Sarfraz) and I, because there has never been anything like that between us,” he said.

^{Mickey Arthur has been Pakistan head coach since 2016}

“We get on incredibly well and we work superbly well as captain and coach. Sarfraz is an unsung hero. I know he gets a lot of flak. He has captained very, very well this Test match again.

“What goes unnoticed a lot of the time is his glove work. There are no dropped catches, no missed stumpings. We keep a log, fielding numbers, on every player in our team on what they have done, and Sarfraz is just incredible.

“That sometimes goes unnoticed. His primary job in this team – other than captaincy – is to keep wicket. He does that exceptionally well, day in, day out.”

With their Test series against New Zealand currently tied at 1-1, the third and final match is will be the decider and gets underway at Abu Dhabi on 3 December.