Cricket: Sarfraz Ahmed hopes to retain Pakistan captaincy at World Cup despite ban

Pakistan's banned captain Sarfraz Ahmed told reporters on Sunday that he hopes his four-match suspension will not deny him the opportunity to lead his country in the World Cup in England later this year. Sarfraz has successfully led the world's No. 1-ranked Pakistan team in the Twenty20 format since being named captain in 2016 - he also captained Pakistan to a historic victory in the Champions Trophy in England in 2017 when Pakistan were ranked eighth in the eight-team event. Last month, the ICC suspended Sarfraz for four matches under its anti-racism code for an on-field taunt aimed at South Africa all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo. He made a public apology and also apologised in person to Phehlukwayo ahead of the third ODI last week, but the ICC still found him guilty and banned him for the last two one-day games and the first two T20's.