Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket. Sarfaraz led Pakistan to victory in the Champions Trophy 2017 and also the Under-19 World Cup in 2006. His international career spanned from 2007 to 2023 and he finishes with 54 Tests, 117 ODIs and 61 T20Is.
He was the first Pakistan captain since Imran Khan to win a 50-over ICC title.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to represent Pakistan,” he said in a PCB release. “From leading the U-19 team to a world title in 2006 to lifting the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, every moment in Pakistan colours has been special. I am grateful to my teammates, coaches, family and the fans for their unwavering support throughout my career.
“Captaining Pakistan across all formats was a dream come true. I always tried to play fearless cricket and build a united team. Seeing players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and others grow into match-winners during my captaincy is one of my proudest achievements.
Overall, he led Pakistan in 100 matches across formats – 13 Tests, 50 ODIs and 37 T20Is – and to the No. 1 rank in T20Is. Individually, he finished with 3031 Test runs with four centuries, 2315 runs in ODIs with two centuries and 818 in T20Is with three half-centuries. As a wicketkeeper, he took 315 catches and completed 56 stumpings across formats in international cricket.
One of the highs of Sarfaraz’s career will be how he took over ODI captaincy in February 2017 and led them to the Champions Trophy in June as the lowest-ranked team. The team then went on a hot streak which resulted in beating India in the final for the trophy.
He was highly-rated as captain in Pakistan, especially since Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, until October 2019, when a sustained loss of personal form saw him abruptly removed as captain in all three formats and dropped from the side entirely.
He returned to the side and played his last game for Pakistan against Australia in the Perth Test in December 2023.
More to follow…
