Sarfraz Ahmed slams Shoaib Akhtar, terms former speedster's criticism on racist remark as 'personal attack'
Having been asked to return home from South Africa following the 4-match suspension handed over by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Sarfraz Ahmed isn't happy with the 'personal attack' made by former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar. Although the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed dissatisfaction over the length of the ban – considering Sarfraz had immediately apologised following the 'racism' incident, Akhtar was of the opinion that the captain has been let off rather easily.
Akhtar had earlier shared a lengthy video on his Twitter account after the clip of Sarfraz's racist taunt towards Proteas all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo went viral on social media. Although Akhtar later decided to delete the video, the damage by then had already been done. Upon his arrival in Karachi, Sarfraz didn't hold back his anger towards Shoaib, calling the criticism as a 'personal attack'. (READ | Faf du Plessis welcomes challenge of a must winmatch against Pakistan in series decider)
“He [Shoaib Akhtar] is attacking me personally not criticising,” Sarfraz told reporters present at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport. “I accepted my mistake and received the punishment. I want to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for handling this case and fulfilling requirements. I will improve myself and my performance in the future and I thank my supporters for their backing."
Akhtar had asked Sarfraz to make a public apology after breaching the ICC anti-racism code which saw the latter come in the line of fire for his on-field conduct. “This [Sarfaz incident] is not acceptable as a Pakistani. In my opinion, he [Sarfraz] did this in the heat of the moment. I think he should apologize publically”, the Rawalpindi Express had said in the video shared on Twitter. (READ | Sarfraz Ahmed takes on critics with cryptic video tweet).
With Shoaib Malik being named as the stand-in skipper, Sarfraz was called back by the PCB. Commenting on the board's decision, the 31-year-old said, "I don't see anything in it as I was playing cricket for the last five months. I will rest and then play Pakistan Super League."
Sarfraz was eligible to play in the third and final T20I between Pakistan and South Africa in the ongoing tour but it seems that the team management has decided to give the skipper a rest ahead of the start of the PSL 2019.
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