Sarfaraz dismisses rumours of ‘rivalry’ with Rizwan

KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricket captain and wicket-keeper Sarfaraz Ahmed has quashed all rumours of animosity with Mohammad Rizwan, saying that “hate is only among people”.

The Champions Trophy 2017 winning captain Sarfaraz and Rizwan, who is number 2 in ICC T20 Batter Rankings, are projected as rivals by their respective fans on social media platforms.

Putting to rest all the rumours on social media, Sarfaraz said he shares a brotherly bond with teammate Mohammad Rizwan.

“The current Pakistan team is united. All the players share a brotherly bond and there is no hate between us,” he said.

Lashing out at trolls, the former captain said: “There is no hate between me and Rizwan. The hate is just among the people on social media. These people have nothing to do in their life; hence they come to social media and start writing unnecessary things,” the wicketkeeper batter added.

Currently, Sarfaraz and Rizwan are two frontline wicketkeepers of the Pakistan team. Rizwan is the first choice in ODIs and T20s , while Sarfaraz has been picked for Test matches this year after former’s dip in form in the longer format.

Sarfaraz played as a first-choice wicketkeeper in the recently concluded Test series in Sri Lanka. After being hit on the head by a bouncer from Sri Lankan pacer Asitha Fernando in the second test in Colombo, Rizwan replaced Sarfaraz as a as a concussion substitute and scored an unbeaten half-century.

Earlier this year, Sarfaraz marked his return to Test cricket with a match-saving hundred against New Zealand in Karachi.

Sarfaraz also said the comparison between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam is not fair as both batters are at different stages of their career.

“Just leave Babar Azam. There is no comparison between him and Virat. Virat has been playing cricket for the last 14-15 years. Babar made his debut in 2015. Wait and watch Babar till he plays as much cricket as Virat; he will stand at the same stage,” Sarfaraz highlighted.

“No one plays cover drive and on drive better than Babar. Just let him play and enjoy,” he concluded.