Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing the curtain down on a career that spanned more than a decade and included some of the most memorable moments in Pakistan’s recent cricket history.
The wicketkeeper-batsman represented Pakistan national cricket team in 54 Tests, 117 One Day Internationals and 61 Twenty20 Internationals. Over the course of his career, Sarfaraz scored a combined 6,164 runs across formats and made a significant impact behind the stumps with 315 catches and 56 stumpings.
Sarfaraz also led Pakistan in 100 international matches and is widely remembered for guiding the team to victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, one of Pakistan’s most celebrated triumphs in modern cricket. Under his leadership, Pakistan also rose to the No.1 position in the ICC T20I team rankings.
He remains the only Pakistani captain to have won International Cricket Council titles at both junior and senior levels, having earlier led Pakistan to the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2006 title.
In recognition of his services to the sport, the Government of Pakistan awarded him the Pride of Performance in 2018.
Reflecting on his journey, Sarfaraz said representing Pakistan had been the greatest honour of his life. He described winning the Under-19 World Cup in 2006 and lifting the Champions Trophy in 2017 as the most memorable moments of his career.
He expressed gratitude to his teammates, coaches, family members and fans for their continued support, saying that captaining Pakistan in all three formats was a dream come true. Sarfaraz added that he always tried to play fearless cricket and build a united team.
The former captain also said it had been a matter of pride to see players such as Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan emerge as match-winners for Pakistan.
Sarfaraz said Pakistan cricket would always remain close to his heart and he would continue to serve the game in every possible way in the future.