Sarfaraz Ahmed, Captain of Pakistan national cricket team’s ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Win, Retires

Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday. Sarfaraz has been playing for almost two decades. The cricketer made his debut for Pakistan back in November 2007. His last game was played back in November 2021. The cricketer is now 37 years old. He has played 54 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 61 T20Is. Sarfaraz has accumulated a total of 6,164 runs. The cricketer has also managed to score six centuries and 35 half-centuries.

He has also managed to take 315 catches and 56 stumpings. Sarfaraz is also a former Pakistan captain who won the ICC Champions Trophy back in 2017. He is the only captain to win ICC titles at both junior and senior levels. Sarfraz said, "Representing Pakistan has been the greatest honor of my life. From leading the Under-19 team to the world title in 2006 to lifting the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, every moment spent in the Pakistan jersey has been extremely special. I am grateful to my teammates, coaches, family, and fans for their unwavering support throughout my career. Captaining Pakistan in all formats was a dream come true. I always strived to play fearless cricket and build a cohesive team."

Sarfraz captained Pakistan in a total of 100 international matches across all formats. He played 37 T20 Internationals as captain. In addition, he led Pakistan in 50 ODIs. In Test cricket, Sarfraz has led the team in 13 matches. Under Sarfraz's leadership, the team reached the top spot in the T20I rankings. Pakistan also set a world record for winning 11 consecutive T20I series, including six clean sweeps against the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, and Scotland.

His proudest moment as captain came at The Oval in London, when Pakistan defeated India by 180 runs in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. Prior to this, he also led the team to the ICC Under-19 World Cup title in Sri Lanka in 2006. In recognition of that Champions Trophy victory, Sarfraz was awarded the Pride of Performance award in 2018, becoming Pakistan's youngest captain to receive this honor.

Among his personal records, Sarfraz holds the Pakistani record for taking 10 catches in a single Test match, which he achieved against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2019. He is also the only Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman to score an ODI century at Lord's. His captaincy proved to be a great nursery for the next generation of Pakistani cricket. Players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, and Shadab Khan are among those whom Sarfaraz supported fully at the beginning of their international careers.

Sarfaraz further said, "Seeing Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, and other players become match-winners under my captaincy is one of my proudest achievements. I would like to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for their continued faith in me over the years. Pakistani cricket has always been very close to my heart, and I will continue to support the game in every possible way."