Former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday (March 15).
In a two-decade-long career, Sarfaraz captained Pakistan in all three formats and also won the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2006. However, he would always be remembered for his greatest achievement — the 2017 Champions Trophy triumph in England, Pakistan’s first ICC trophy in eight years and the last since, where the Men in Green recovered from near elimination to beat arch-rivals India in the final.
That made him the only Pakistani skipper to win titles in age-group as well as senior cricket.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to represent Pakistan,” the Karachi-born said in a statement. “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.”
Overall, he played 54 Tests, 117 ODIs and 61 T20Is, scoring 6,164 runs, including six centuries and 35 fifties. Behind the stumps, he took 315 catches and completed 56 stumpings.
Sarfaraz captained Pakistan in 100 international matches and led the side to the No.1 ranking in T20Is. Under his leadership, Pakistan recorded a world-record run of 11 consecutive T20I series victories.
Earlier this month, he was named to a revamped four-member national men’s selection committee, which followed his achievement of mentoring the Pakistan Under-19 team to the Asia Cup title as a coach.
