‘Rizwan ke ego pe ek bahut bada thappad’ - Fans react as Sarfaraz Ahmed replaces Mohammad Rizwan in first Test against New Zealand

Here is how fans have reacted on the decision of replacing Mohammad Rizwan in the playing XI with Sarfaraz Ahmed

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Daniel S
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Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed

Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed (Image Source: Twitter)

On 26 December 2022, Pakistan kicked off the two-match Test series at their home against New Zealand. Babar Azam was looking to lead his team to victory in this series after Ben Stokes and Co. whitewashed them at home in the last Test series. Several players like Mohammad Rizwan failed to live up to their expectations recently, especially in the longest format of the game.

As a result, Pakistan lost four matches in a calendar year for the first time in their history. Fans were not happy also with the captaincy of Babar Azam. They also slammed Mohammad Rizwan for his flop shows with the bat in recent Test matches. However, in the last few days, some drastic changes happened in the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Fans shared mixed reactions after seeing Sarfaraz Ahmed in the playing XI in place of Mohammad Rizwan

Speaking of changes, on 21 December 2022, the Pakistan Cricket Board sacked Ramiz Raja and Prime Minister Shehbaz Shariff approved Najam Sethi’s appointment as the new PCB Chairman. before this series, Najam Sethi announced, on 24 December 2022, that Shahid Afridi will be the interim chief selector of the men's team. 

On Twitter, the Pakistan Cricket Board shared a statement that read: “PCB Management Committee has appointed former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi as the interim Chair of the Men’s National Selection Committee. Other members of the panel are Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum. Haroon Rashid will be the Convener.” Najam Sethi also shared a tweet that read: “I am pleased to announce, with immediate effect, an Interim Selection Committee for the New Zealand tour. It comprises Shahid Afridi (Chief Selector), Abdul Razzaq, and Rao Iftikhar, with Haroon Rashid as Convenor.”

However, fans became surprised when they saw Mohammad Rizwan out of the playing XI while Sarfaraz Ahmed made a comeback to the team after a gap of nearly four years. He last played a Test match for the Men in Green way back in January 2019. In the last series against England, Rizwan scored only 141 runs in six innings. 

Here is how fans have reacted to the decision of dropping Mohammad Rizwan over Sarfaraz Ahmed:

 

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