Shoaib Akhtar launches fresh attack on Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed and urges PCB to act

After criticising the skipper's weight and captaincy during the World Cup, the former seamer is back on the offensive

Sarfraz Ahmed should not be captain of Pakistan in any format and must be replaced immediately following the country's premature World Cup exit.

Despite winning their final four round-robin matches, the 1992 winners failed to progress to the knock-out stage.

A heavy opening defeat to West Indies and a washed-out game with Sri Lanka saw them miss out on a top-four spot on net run-rate, with eventual runners-up New Zealand qualifying at their expense.

Akhtar, famous for being a ferocious fast-bowler and producing a delivery which clocked 100.2 miles per hour during the 2003 World Cup, was a constant critic of Sarfraz during the World Cup and amid uncertainty over the future, he has taken another swing.

"He should be used for his keeping and batting skills," Akhtar told cricketpakistan.com.pk of Sarfraz, who scored 143 runs at 28.60 and took 13 catches behind the stumps during the World Cup.

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"No way should he continue as captain of the Pakistan cricket team. He should not be the captain in any format."

He added: "Haris Sohail should be made the captain. He should captain the side in ODIs and T20Is.

"They should test him (Babar Azam) in Test cricket. I wish him the best. He has scored a lot of runs."

The wicket-keeper batsman remains the Pakistan captain across all three formats but has opted against standing down following the team's disappointing World Cup.

Instead, the Pakistan Cricket Board will take the decision over his future in the coming weeks with a change likely.

The Champions Trophy holders are not back in action until November  and December when they face Australia in three T20s and two Tests.

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