&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed announces retirement from international cricket")
Wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed, who led Pakistan to the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy title and remains the only captain to have won ICC trophies at both junior and senior levels, announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday, bringing the curtain down on a career spanning nearly two decades. The 34-year-old represented Pakistan in 54 Tests, 117 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 61 T20 Internationals, scoring 6,164 runs, including six centuries and 35 half-centuries. Behind the stumps, he recorded 315 catches and 56 stumpings. His last appearance came in a Test against Australia in Dec 2023.
Sarfaraz captained Pakistan in 100 international matches across formats and under his leadership, Pakistan also reached the No. 1 position in the ICC T20I rankings. Currently, he is working as the coach of Pakistan’s Under-19 team, having started in November last year.
The former captain said that playing for Pakistan was the greatest honour of his life. He remembered key moments of his journey, including leading the team to victory in the 2006 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup and winning the Champions Trophy in 2017. He said becoming the captain of Pakistan was a dream come true and that he is proud to have helped young players grow into match-winners.
“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," Sarfaraz said.
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He further thanked his teammates, coaches, family and fans for their support throughout his career. Sarfaraz also said he always tried to play fearless cricket and build a strong and united team. He added that seeing players like Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan develop into top performers during his captaincy is one of his proudest achievements.
“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, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali,Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and others grow into match-winners during my captaincy is one of my proudest achievements,” Sarfaraz added.
With inputs from agencies
