Former Test captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket, ending a distinguished career spanning around two decades, according to a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batsman, who made his ODI debut in 2007 before making his Test and T20I debuts in 2010, has represented 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 took 315 catches and completed 56 stumps during his international career.
Sarfaraz has captained Pakistan in 100 international matches across formats, including 50 ODIs, 37 T20Is and 13 Tests, and led the side to the No. 1 ranking in T20I cricket.
During his captaincy, Pakistan achieved a world record run of 11 consecutive T20I series victories and recorded six clean sweeps, including 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 supported at the start of their international careers.
Sarfaraz led Pakistan to a historic victory in the ICC Champions Trophy, beating India by 180 runs in the final at the Oval in England.
With that win, he became the first Pakistani captain to win the Champions Trophy and the only captain to date to win ICC titles at both junior and senior levels, having previously led Pakistan to victory in the 2006 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka.
In recognition of his services and Champions Trophy triumph, Sarfaraz was awarded the Pride of Performance in 2018, becoming Pakistan’s youngest captain to receive the honour.
Talking about his individual records, Sarfaraz holds the Pakistani record of 10 catches in a Test match, which he took against South Africa in 2019 in Johannesburg. He is so far the only Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman 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 match (Test) against Australia in Perth in 2023.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to represent Pakistan. From leading the U19 team to a world title in 2006 to winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, every moment in the colors of Pakistan was special. I am grateful to my teammates, coaches, family and the fans for their continued support throughout my career,” the former skipper said in a statement.
“Captaining Pakistan in all formats has been a dream come true. I have always tried to play fearless cricket and build a united team. Watching 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 have reposed in me over the years”.
“Pakistani cricket has always been close to my heart and I will continue to support the game in every way possible,” he concluded.
