Pakistan‘s banned captain Sarfraz Ahmed hoped 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 taken Pakistan to the top of he T20 rankings and also captained Pakistan to a historic victory in the Champions Trophy in England in 2017 when Pakistan was ranked at No8 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.

During the Durban ODI, Sarfraz said: “Black guy…. Where is your mother? What prayer has she said for you today?”