Former Pakistani skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed announced his retirement from international cricket. Image Credit: AFP
Pakistan’s Champions Trophy-winning captain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket. It brought an end to a two-decade-old career with triumphs in the Champions Trophy and the U-19 World Cup.
Sarfaraz represented Pakistan in 54 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 61 T20Is across all three formats. He amassed 6,164 runs in all three formats, including 35 fifties and six hundreds.
According to the Pakistan Cricket Board website, he had 315 catches behind the wickets and 56 stumpings.
Sarfaraz guided Pakistan to the top spot in T20I cricket while captaining the team in 100 international games across formats (50 ODIs, 37 T20Is, and 13 Tests). Under his leadership, Pakistan won 11 straight Twenty20 International series, setting a global record. They also completed six clean sweeps, including against the West Indies (2016 and 2018), Sri Lanka (2017), Australia (2018), New Zealand (2018), and Scotland (2018).
In the final at the Oval in England, Sarfaraz guided Pakistan to a historic victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, defeating bitter rivals India by 180 runs. After leading Pakistan to victory in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2006, defeating India by 38 runs, Sarfaraz became the first captain of Pakistan to win the Champions Trophy and the only skipper to win ICC titles at both junior and senior levels.
Sarfaraz made his final international appearance in a Test match against Australia in Perth in 2023. He played his maiden international match (ODI) in 2007.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to represent Pakistan. From leading the U19 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. I would like to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for the trust they placed in me over the years. Pakistan cricket has always been very close to my heart, and I will continue to support the game in every possible way,” Sarfaraz Ahmed said.
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