KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Team’s former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said he was very happy to play his 50th Test match at his home ground Karachi, on Monday. Sarfaraz Ahmed was making a comeback after more than three years and played a crucial knock of 86 runs, after coming to bat at 110/4. Addressing a press conference after the Stumps on Day 1 in Karachi, Sarfaraz Ahmed disclosed he felt like it was his debut. Sarfaraz Ahmed played 49 Test matches before Monday, but none of them were at his home ground. Sarfaraz also said that he tried his best in the domestic cricket and knew he would make a comeback when Allah Almighty will want. The former skipper also thanked all of his fans for praying for his return to the team and hoped that his innings will help Pakistan win. Sarfaraz Ahmed made a mark straightaway on his return to the Pakistan Test team and made a fighting 86 to help Pakistan get out of trouble after the loss of early wickets in the morning session. His partnership with Babar Azam inspired a lot of confidence in the team as the duo kept manoeuvring the ball into the gaps and ticked the scoreboard nicely. Sarfaraz was playing his first Test since January 2019 and it was his first on home soil. “I was very excited when I got to know yesterday that I will be playing this Test. I was wondering whether I will get my 50th Test or not. My focus has always been to give my best, just play cricket and on my performance. I have always said that when I started playing cricket, I had the privilege of having great mentors whose guidance and support have always been helpful for me,” said Sarfaraz Ahmed in the press conference. The Karachi-born wicketkeeper batter was elated to get an opportunity to play in front of the home crowd and said he always kept faith in himself and thanked his mentors who supported him through the ups and downs in his career. “I would also like to thank my family and fans for keeping faith in me. When I played my first three deliveries, my heartbeat was so fast and I felt like I was making my debut again. The boys who played with me told me to calm down. Babar Azam gave me a lot of confidence as well. I had been working with my coaches including Shahid Aslam and I keep talking to Mohamad Yousuf…I will keep on working on my batting and improve it,” said Sarfaraz Ahmed. The former Pakistan captain felt bittersweet after missing out on a hundred but was glad about getting off to a good start on his Test return. “I was heartbroken when I got out on 86 because I was eyeing a century but then I think what if I got out on the first ball so I am thankful to Allah that I managed to play a good innings. The ball was gripping a lot in the first session but the pitch has gotten better now and New Zealand kept things tight in the post-lunch and the last session. “I believe criticism should be on performance and not on other aspects and one should not get personal. I am sure Mir Hamza will bowl well because he has been bowling well consistently in the last few years. In these last four years, I have been trying to back myself and kept my focus on the performance and as I said earlier, I am grateful to the people who always supported me through thick and thin,” he added.