Former captain thanks teammates, coaches, family and fans for unwavering support throughout his career
Lahore
Former Pakistan cricket captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a distinguished career that spanned nearly two decades.
The Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batter made his One Day International (ODI) debut in 2007 and later made his Test and T20 International debuts in 2010. Over his international career, he represented Pakistan in 54 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 61 T20Is.
Sarfaraz scored a total of 6,164 runs across formats, including six centuries and 35 half-centuries. Behind the stumps, he recorded 315 catches and 56 stumpings.
He captained Pakistan in 100 international matches across formats — including 50 ODIs, 37 T20Is, and 13 Tests — and led the team to the No.1 ranking in T20I cricket. During his leadership, Pakistan achieved a world-record streak of 11 consecutive T20I series victories and recorded six clean sweeps against teams including West Indies, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, and Scotland.
Sarfaraz’s captaincy era also witnessed the rise of several future stars, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, and Shadab Khan.
He is best remembered for leading Pakistan to a historic victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, when Pakistan defeated India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval in England. Earlier in his career, Sarfaraz had also captained Pakistan to victory in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2006, becoming the only Pakistan captain to win ICC titles at both junior and senior levels.
In recognition of his achievements, Sarfaraz Ahmed was awarded the Pride of Performance in 2018, becoming the youngest Pakistan captain to receive the honour.
Among his individual records, Sarfaraz holds the Pakistan record for most catches in a Test match by a wicketkeeper, taking 10 catches against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2019. He is also the only Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter to score an ODI century at Lord’s, which he achieved against England in 2016.
His final international appearance came in a Test match against Australia in Perth in 2023.
Speaking on his retirement, Sarfaraz said representing Pakistan had been the greatest honour of his life and expressed gratitude to teammates, coaches, family members, and fans for their support throughout his career.
