Three years after bagging the No.1 Test rank, Pakistan have managed just eight Test victories in 26 matches, better only to Bangladesh among top-9 full-member nations, and have slipped well below to No.8 spot in the ICC Test rankings.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan advised sacked captain Sarfaraz Ahmed to focus on domestic cricket, and also backed Misbah-ul-Haq as head coach.
Senior players Shoaib Malik, Muhammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad also did not figure in the T20 squad for the important tour.
Protesters gathered in front of Sarfaraz's home in the southern port city of Karachi on Sunday.
Dismissing rumors that the board had decided to relegate Sarfaraz to a lower category, a PCB spokesperson said Sarfaraz would retain his top category in the central contracts which run till July next year.
Besides being stripped off captaincy, Sarfaraz has also been dropped for the upcoming tour of Australia, where Pakistan will play three T20Is and two Tests.
While Azhar Ali has been named as Pakistan's new Test skipper, Babar Azam will take on the responsibility for the T20I side. The decision for the ODI captaincy has been put on hold.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was critical of Sarfaraz Ahmed, saying that the wicketkeeper-batsman was a 'timid' captain.
PCB committed a major blunder by posting a video from their official Twitter account, where some of the Pakistani players were seen dancing.
Sarfaraz Ahmed was stripped of captaincy and dropped from the Pakistan side after a series of below-average performances in international cricket.
Sarfaraz Ahmed has been sacked as the captain of Pakistan in both Tests and T20Is as they aim to get back to winning ways.
Pakistan's head coach Misbah ul Haq is unhappy with Sarfaraz's performance and has reportedly communicated it to the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB's) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Wasim Khan.
According to reports, PCB chairman wants wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed to leave Test captaincy.
Both fans and former cricketers have expressed their wrath and anger, with some demanding Sarfaraz's removal from captaincy after they were whitewashed by a second string Sri Lankan side, that too in their own backyard.
As Pakistan took on Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI of the series in Karachi, their skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed joined MS Dhoni in an 'elite list' of wicketkeeper-captains.
Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed said in the pre-match press conference that he is only one of two players in the team who has played an ODI in Karachi.
Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi believes that leading the side in all the three formats would put a huge amount of pressure on Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Sarfaraz Ahmed, who will continue to lead Pakistan across the three formats, is positive about Pakistan's campaign in the World Test Championship.
Sarfaraz Ahmed said Pakistan had always supported Sri Lanka when things were difficult there.
PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said that Babar's elevation is part of his gradual development as a future captain. "I am hopeful the trio of Misbah, Sarfaraz and Babar will do well for Pakistan cricket," Mani said.
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