Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket, drawing the curtain on an illustrious career spanning two decades.
The wicketkeeper-batsman, who led his country to glory in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, has made significant contributions across all three formats.
The 37-year-old made his One-Day International (ODI) debut in 2007, followed by his Test and T20I debut in 2010.
During his international career, he represented Pakistan in 54 Tests, 117 ODIs and 61 T20Is, amassing a total of 6,164 runs, including six centuries and 35 fifties.
Behind the stumps, he completed 315 catches and 56 stumpings.
Sarfaraz’s leadership was particularly notable. He captained Pakistan in over 100 internationals across formats, leading the side to the No.1 ranking in T20I cricket.
Under his guidance, Pakistan achieved a world record 11 consecutive T20I series wins and six clean sweeps against the West Indies (twice), Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and Scotland.
His captaincy was also instrumental in nurturing the new generation of Pakistani cricketers.
He gave the platform to many future stars including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Faqar Zaman and Shatab Khan at the start of their international journeys.
His captaincy was crowned in 2017 when he led Pakistan to a historic victory in the ICC Champions Trophy.
His team produced a brilliant performance to beat arch-rivals India by 180 runs in the final at The Oval.
With this victory, Sarfaraz became the first Pakistan captain to win the Champions Trophy and the only captain to win ICC titles at both junior and senior levels, having previously led Pakistan to victory in the 2006 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka.
In recognition of his services to the game and the Champions Trophy win, Sarfaraz was honored in 2018, becoming the youngest Pakistan captain to receive the civilian honour.
He holds several Pakistan records, including the most catches by a fielder in a Test against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2019.
He is the only Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman to score an ODI century at Lord’s in 2016 against England and the 2023 Test at Perth.
While announcing his retirement from international cricket, Ahmed reflected on his memorable journey with the national team.
The 2017 Champions Trophy-winning captain looked back at some of the highlights of his career and thanked his teammates, coaches, family and passionate fans for supporting him throughout his time representing the country.
Sarfaraz has had the honor of leading Pakistan across all formats and has seen many young players develop into match-winners during his captaincy.
“Representing Pakistan has been the greatest honor of my career. From winning the U19 World title in 2006 to winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, every moment in Pakistan colors has been special. I am grateful to my teammates, coaches, family and fans throughout my career,” said Sarfaraz.
“It is a dream come true to captain Pakistan in all formats. I have always played fearless cricket and tried to build a united team. Watching Babar Azam, Faqar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shatab Khan and others develop into match winners during my captaincy is one of my proudest achievements.”
“I would like to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for the trust it has placed in me over the years. Pakistan cricket has always been very close to my heart and I will support the game in every possible way,” he concluded.
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