Former Test captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a distinguished career spanning around two decades, according to a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batter, who made his ODI debut in 2007 before making his Test and T20I debuts in 2010, went on to represent Pakistan in 54 Tests, 117 ODIs and 61 T20Is.
He scored 6,164 runs across formats, including six centuries and 35 half-centuries. Behind the stumps, he grabbed 315 catches and completed 56 stumpings during his international career.
Sarfaraz captained Pakistan in 100 international matches across formats, including 50 ODIs, 37 T20Is, 13 Tests, and led the side to the No 1 ranking in T20I cricket.
During his captaincy, Pakistan achieved a world-record streak of 11 consecutive T20I series victories and recorded six clean sweeps, which include against West Indies (2016 and 2018), Sri Lanka (2017), Australia (2018), New Zealand (2018) and Scotland (2018).
Sarfaraz’s leadership era also saw the emergence of several future stars, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan, whom he backed at the start of their international careers.
Sarfaraz led Pakistan to historic triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy, beating India by 180 runs in the final at the Oval in England.
With that victory, he became the first Pakistan captain to win the Champions Trophy and the only captain till date to win ICC titles at both junior and senior levels, having earlier led Pakistan to win in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2006 in Sri Lanka.
In recognition of his services and the Champions Trophy triumph, Sarfaraz was awarded the Pride of Performance in 2018, becoming the youngest Pakistan captain to receive the honour.
Talking about his individual records, Sarfaraz has the Pakistan record of 10 catches in a Test match, which he took against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2019. He is to date the only Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter to score an ODI century at Lord’s, which he scored against England in 2016.
Sarfaraz, who played his first international match (ODI) in 2007, made his last international appearance in an international match (Test) against Australia in Perth in 2023.
“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,” the former skipper said in a statement.
“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, Fakhar, Hasan, Shaheen, Shadab and others grow into match-winners during my captaincy is one of my proudest achievements,” he added. He also thanked 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,” he concluded.