Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq refused to read too much into Sarfaraz Ahmed carrying drinks during the first Test against England in Manchester.
Ahmed, who has been benched for the series opener, has gone from leading the national team in all three formats to struggling to make it to the playing XI.
The wicketkeeper batsman now finds himself in the middle of an unexpected controversy after he was seen carrying drinks and equipment during the second day of the Old Trafford Test.
While some Pakistan supporters saw it as a sign of 'disrespect', others pointed to instances of star players like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Ricky Ponting routinely carrying drinks.
Pakistan coach Misbah said he too carried drinks as 12th man, even when he was the captain of the side.
"Against Australia, when I was the captain, I sat out one game and went in with drinks as 12th man. There is no shame in it," Misbah said on Thursday.
"Sarfaraz is a great team man. He knows that when your benched players need to train one after the other, whoever is available at that moment has to help out. It's not a matter of disrespect."
The controversy took some of the focus away from a tremendous day on the field for the Pakistan team.
Opening batsman Shan Masood hit a majestic 156 to help the visitors post 326 before their fast bowlers struck with ferocity to leave England 92-4 at stumps.
