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Sarfaraz Ahmed announces retirement from international cricket

What is Sarfaraz Ahmed's legacy in International cricket?

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BouncerGuy

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Sarfaraz Ahmed announces retirement from international cricket

Former Test captain and ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2006 and ICC Champions Trophy 2017 winning captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a distinguished career spanning around two decades.

Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batter, who made his ODI debut in 2007 before making his Test and T20I debuts in 2010, went on to represent 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 grabbed 315 catches and completed 56 stumpings during his international career.

Sarfaraz captained Pakistan in 100 international matches across formats (50 ODIs, 37 T20Is, 13 Tests) and led the side to the No.1 ranking in T20I cricket. During his captaincy, Pakistan achieved a world-record streak of 11 consecutive T20I series victories and recorded six clean sweeps, which include against West Indies (2016 and 2018), Sri Lanka (2017), Australia (2018), New Zealand (2018) and Scotland (2018).

Sarfaraz’ 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 backed at the start of their international careers.

Sarfaraz Ahmed led Pakistan to historic triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy, beating India by 180 runs in the final at the Oval in England. With that victory, Sarfaraz became the first Pakistan captain to win the Champions Trophy and the only captain till date to win ICC titles at both junior and senior levels, having earlier led Pakistan to win in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2006 in Sri Lanka.

In recognition of his services and the Champions Trophy triumph, Sarfaraz Ahmed was awarded the Pride of Performance in 2018, becoming the youngest Pakistan captain to receive the honour.

Talking about his individual records, Sarfaraz has the Pakistan record of 10 catches in a Test match, which he took against South Africa in Johannesburg 2019. He is till date only Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter 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 appearance in an international match (Test) against Australia in Perth in 2023.

Sarfaraz Ahmed:

“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.

“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.

“I would like to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for the trust they placed in me over the years. Pakistan cricket has always been very close to my heart and I will continue to support the game in every possible way.”
 
Man has been a mentor getting 5 Million PKR per month in domestic.

Also coach of the U19 and Shaheen setup. Part of the selection committee.

Why is he needing to announce the retirement? Did he try to select himself in place of Ghazi Ghori & then others forced him to resign?
 
Could have done more if he was allowed some more time.

A selfless player and an amazing batsman against spinners. His 100 vs Nz post comeback was a clutch knock.

In Lois he was never great, his most memorable innings was the one where he was dropped twice, against SL in ct17.
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
Could have done more if he was allowed some more time.

A selfless player and an amazing batsman against spinners. His 100 vs Nz post comeback was a clutch knock.

In Lois he was never great, his most memorable innings was the one where he was dropped twice, against SL in ct17.
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Pretty sure it was 3 times
 
Rana said:
At least his contribution mattered towards an ICC trophy, unlike his replacement who only contributed to Pakistan cricket’s downfall (y)
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His replacement is the only Pakistani keeper and one of the few international keepers in history to average 40 plus in every single format which is the hallmark of a very good player.

In with a pretty elite list of players. The hate you spout won’t change that fact either.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Sarfaraz Ahmed announces retirement from international cricket

Former Test captain and ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2006 and ICC Champions Trophy 2017 winning captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a distinguished career spanning around two decades.

Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batter, who made his ODI debut in 2007 before making his Test and T20I debuts in 2010, went on to represent 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 grabbed 315 catches and completed 56 stumpings during his international career.

Sarfaraz captained Pakistan in 100 international matches across formats (50 ODIs, 37 T20Is, 13 Tests) and led the side to the No.1 ranking in T20I cricket. During his captaincy, Pakistan achieved a world-record streak of 11 consecutive T20I series victories and recorded six clean sweeps, which include against West Indies (2016 and 2018), Sri Lanka (2017), Australia (2018), New Zealand (2018) and Scotland (2018).

Sarfaraz’ 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 backed at the start of their international careers.

Sarfaraz Ahmed led Pakistan to historic triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy, beating India by 180 runs in the final at the Oval in England. With that victory, Sarfaraz became the first Pakistan captain to win the Champions Trophy and the only captain till date to win ICC titles at both junior and senior levels, having earlier led Pakistan to win in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2006 in Sri Lanka.

In recognition of his services and the Champions Trophy triumph, Sarfaraz Ahmed was awarded the Pride of Performance in 2018, becoming the youngest Pakistan captain to receive the honour.

Talking about his individual records, Sarfaraz has the Pakistan record of 10 catches in a Test match, which he took against South Africa in Johannesburg 2019. He is till date only Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter 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 appearance in an international match (Test) against Australia in Perth in 2023.

Sarfaraz Ahmed:

“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.

“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.

“I would like to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for the trust they placed in me over the years. Pakistan cricket has always been very close to my heart and I will continue to support the game in every possible way.”
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WhatsApp Image 2026-03-15 at 5.30.28 PM.jpegWhatsApp Image 2026-03-15 at 5.30.29 PM.jpeg
View attachment WhatsApp Video 2026-03-15 at 5.30.28 PM.mp4
 
Thank you Sarfraz for your services, maybe not the most talented cricketer, but always played for Pakistan and was a great captain :)
 
Overall an average cricketer who managed to win CT17. Had a good start to his career and performed well from 2015 to 2017. He completely gave up his game & fitness after CT17.
 
Farewell legend.

You made us a champion nation after a long wait of 25 years in ODI Cricket.

It was the most glorious day of my life when our boys SMASHED Endians in the final and we became their Daddy.
 
If one cricketer ever faced injustice, it was Sarfraz Ahmed.

And no, it was the sacking he got, as he was unfit and out of form, but the injustice he faced was earlier in his career.

Kamran had started to drop catches from 2007 onwards and his lack of runs were also being exposed. Thats when Sarfraz Ahmed was emerging. A wicket keeper from karachi who avged between 30 to 40 in domestic cricket. This stat was gold enough for one to have a career in Pakistan cricket, but only if you were born on the nothern part of Pakistan. Unfortunately for Sarfraz, he was born on the southern part.

While i have often bashed karachites for regionalism victim card, but when it comes to sarfraz ahmed and khurram manzoor, i do believe these guys were made victims only cause of their region.

I remember Sarfraz's debut asia cup series in 2008. This guy in long hair, with a weird batting stance, but with a very nervous look on his face. When he came to the crease, his batting lacked in everything. He seemed to be a lost ship, but truth be told, it wasnt his technique, it was the lack of confidence he had. The Pakistani management was throwing him at no.7 and no.8 and at one point made him bat at no.9 if i remember correctly.

Soon, he was dropped from the Asia cup and was left in the wilderness.

The hate that Kamran gets today , is not only because of his drop catches and the matches he lost us, but it was due to the way he kept his hold on Pakistan cricket.

Each and every time Sarfraz came in, he was dropped for Kamran to make a come back. This continued through, it was as if Sarfraz was the understudy of Kamran.

What was astonishing was the 2009 sydney test. Kamran dropped 4 catches of Hussey, and a match we could had won was lost. Thats when cricinfo published an article where they said, an SOS has been sent to Sarfraz to join the team as the wicket keepr. The sydney test had indicated that kamrans career was finally over.

But here is the interesting thing that happened.

Sarfraz got his one off test and was again dropped. World t20 came and so did the Asia Cup and kamran had impressed the selectors to the point that he was back in the team for the infamous 2010 england tour. Under Afridis captaincy, Sarfraz was dropped from the test squad once again, and Kamran akmal was back. What was even more odd was that Zulqarnain Haider was also selected, who himself had a batting avg in the 20s.

Interestingly, Yawar Saeed had even made sure that after Afridi resigned, not only butt was made captain, Kamran Akmal was the vice captain that many fans were not aware of.

Zulqarnain would get his debut, almost became the first ever player to get a kingpair in test cricket, but survives to score his famous 88 runs. It was famous because during that tour, Pakistans batting would never last for a full day.

Eventually, south Africa tour came, Zulqarnains maturity level got exposed, and kamran akmal was once again back in the team. As expected, kamran played the world cup 2011. Drops the catch of ross taylor, akhtar is angry and ends his career

After the 2011 world cup, one would think finally kamrans career would end. He gets dropped, and than out of no where, based on Rashid Latifs recommendation, Mohammad Salman of Faisalabad gets selected. A good keeper, but an utterly garbage keeper.

It was astonishing to see Sarfraz was once again ignored.

Salman would suck, and than Umar Akmal was opted for. In the mean time, Adnan Akmal was being bought in for the test side.

Oddly enough, Adnan Akmal turned out to be the more mature and better keeper amongst all the akmal brothers. His chicken dance still makes me chuckle.

Sarfraz was no where to be seen. Even if he got the odd matches, he lacked the confidence and was always under pressure.

I wouldnt blame the team management for Sarfraz not being selected, but i do blame them for selecting Kamran again and again.

Than came 2012 Asia Cup, where Sarfraz was made part of. A final where we would had lost, is when Sarfraz came in and scored valuable runs in the lower end of the innings, which we had to defend to win the tournament. Yet, that innings that Sarfraz played was an ugly one, because Sarfraz severely lacked any confidence. Its like how hussain talat bats today.

Anyways, the person who saved Sarfraz's career or the person who made Sarfraz in international cricket was Moin Khan.

I am a big critic of Moin Khan, but it was Moin that boosted Sarfraz's career.

When Moin Khan joined the team management during 2012-2013 season, the first thing he did was he dropped a performing adnan akmal and bought sarfraz in. While i and many lf us did not like this decision, one thing that was interesting was that Moin Khan kept pushing for Sarfraz and gave him confidence.

Sarfraz under Moin Khans guidance got his confidence back and even though he played his career under Misbah, but it was Moin Khan that really restored his confidence and you can see that the way Sarfraz batted from 2013 onward in his test career. Had Moin Khan never been part of the team management, Sarfraz would had been wasted like Khurram Manzoor.

Long story short, Sarfraz would than open in the 2015 world cup, smash a 100 against Ireland, which was enough to win support from fans and get the captaincy for national team.

He would go on to win the champions trophy 2017.

The sarfraz that made his debut in 2008 and the sarfraz that was scolding usman shinwari in the 2020s are two contrasting images.

Moin Khan was what he needed, and we saw sarfraz blossom and win a champions trophy under Arthurs coaching.

Its interesting that, Rashid Khan of Karachi opted for Mohammad Salman, while Moin Khan of Punjab opted for Sarfraz.

He faced injustice, but the 2017 ct win overcame all that and lives in high honor amongst fans.

Thank you Sarfraz
 
Could’ve had a longer career had he remained as an opener, instead he kept pushing himself down the order.

At the end of his career, the biggest criticism he faced was that he played as a specialist captain. We would see players like Amir and Hassan Ali bat above him.

Still though, we haven’t had anyone as good as him captain the team since he last played.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Could’ve had a longer career had he remained as an opener, instead he kept pushing himself down the order.

At the end of his career, the biggest criticism he faced was that he played as a specialist captain. We would see players like Amir and Hassan Ali bat above him.

Still though, we haven’t had anyone as good as him captain the team since he last played.
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Yeah. He was the last great captain Pakistan have had.

Since then, there has been a leadership vacuum.
 
Katwalindian said:
2019 also done well...unlucky too miss semis....the way he was peaking..May have played the final......
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As an Indian fan from 1990s, don’t dwell into the ifs.. 2015, PCT rched qtr final, and one catch drop is what most ppl consider as an opportunity missed but I can assure you on other side Smith was having no issues..

Sarfaraz had too many opportunities that he missed and it was because he let them be.. he also got CT opportunity due to Lankans..
 
Will go down as Pakistan’s best captain in limited forms this century, the U19 win over India was iconic & a taste of what was to come during international cricket, he was always two or three steps ahead of the rest in his country when it came to how modern cricket should be played. A forward thinking leader & great man manager who commanded the respect of youngsters & senior players.

As a keeper batter he did the job for Pakistan across formats, his numbers don’t show the impact he had on the game, he helped keep the myth of Misbah & fortress UAE alive and was a big part of the team that would become no.1 in Tests.

Sarfraz put the players and his country before his own selfish motives and was a bloke willing to work with all his coaching staff for the betterment of Pakistan.

An unselfish man & true patriot who bought home the gold, against India no less in a final.

Happy Retirement Champ & Pakistan Zindabad! Because you made me feel proud to say that.

IMG_5249.jpeg
 
JaDed said:
As an Indian fan from 1990s, don’t dwell into the ifs.. 2015, PCT rched qtr final, and one catch drop is what most ppl consider as an opportunity missed but I can assure you on other side Smith was having no issues..

Sarfaraz had too many opportunities that he missed and it was because he let them be.. he also got CT opportunity due to Lankans..
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He literally beat SA, NZ and ENG in same world cup and still miss semis..... that team deserves more than that 1992 team that was lucky.....
 
Katwalindian said:
He literally beat SA, NZ and ENG in same world cup and still miss semis..... that team deserves more than that 1992 team that was lucky.....
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Lost terribly to India and WI and didn’t win by a good margin against Afg.. PCT knew the equation coming..
 
shaz619 said:
Will go down as Pakistan’s best captain in limited forms this century, the U19 win over India was iconic & a taste of what was to come during international cricket, he was always two or three steps ahead of the rest in his country when it came to how modern cricket should be played. A forward thinking leader & great man manager who commanded the respect of youngsters & senior players.

As a keeper batter he did the job for Pakistan across formats, his numbers don’t show the impact he had on the game, he helped keep the myth of Misbah & fortress UAE alive and was a big part of the team that would become no.1 in Tests.

Sarfraz put the players and his country before his own selfish motives and was a bloke willing to work with all his coaching staff for the betterment of Pakistan.

An unselfish man & true patriot who bought home the gold, against India no less in a final.

Happy Retirement Champ & Pakistan Zindabad! Because you made me feel proud to say that.

View attachment 162896
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oh plz. As soon as he went to UAE as test captain, he lost.

Dont take credit away from Misbah to praise him.

Great limited overs captain, but one of the worst test captains
 
He was an average cricketer but a really good limited overs captain between 2016-19, especially in T20s.

It’s a shame that there was no T20 World Cup in 2017 or 2018, as we would have won one for sure.
 
Greatest OD captain for Pakistan, winning two global tournament finals against arch rivals. Also he was the only batter during Misbah tuk tuk era that started elevating the run rates in Test and limited overs cricket and played a vital role on becoming no. 1 in Test cricket.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Sarfaraz Ahmed announces retirement from international cricket

Former Test captain and ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2006 and ICC Champions Trophy 2017 winning captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a distinguished career spanning around two decades.

Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batter, who made his ODI debut in 2007 before making his Test and T20I debuts in 2010, went on to represent 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 grabbed 315 catches and completed 56 stumpings during his international career.

Sarfaraz captained Pakistan in 100 international matches across formats (50 ODIs, 37 T20Is, 13 Tests) and led the side to the No.1 ranking in T20I cricket. During his captaincy, Pakistan achieved a world-record streak of 11 consecutive T20I series victories and recorded six clean sweeps, which include against West Indies (2016 and 2018), Sri Lanka (2017), Australia (2018), New Zealand (2018) and Scotland (2018).

Sarfaraz’ 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 backed at the start of their international careers.

Sarfaraz Ahmed led Pakistan to historic triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy, beating India by 180 runs in the final at the Oval in England. With that victory, Sarfaraz became the first Pakistan captain to win the Champions Trophy and the only captain till date to win ICC titles at both junior and senior levels, having earlier led Pakistan to win in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 2006 in Sri Lanka.

In recognition of his services and the Champions Trophy triumph, Sarfaraz Ahmed was awarded the Pride of Performance in 2018, becoming the youngest Pakistan captain to receive the honour.

Talking about his individual records, Sarfaraz has the Pakistan record of 10 catches in a Test match, which he took against South Africa in Johannesburg 2019. He is till date only Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter 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 appearance in an international match (Test) against Australia in Perth in 2023.

Sarfaraz Ahmed:

“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.

“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.

“I would like to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for the trust they placed in me over the years. Pakistan cricket has always been very close to my heart and I will continue to support the game in every possible way.”
Click to expand...
https://twitter.com/x/status/2033410414437167592
 
The_KING said:
He was an average cricketer but a really good limited overs captain between 2016-19, especially in T20s.

It’s a shame that there was no T20 World Cup in 2017 or 2018, as we would have won one for sure.
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There was one in 2019, and it was his right to lead because it was his team that he had built up towards it.

But Imran Khan, Misbah, Waqar Younis, Ramiz Raja and plenty of other clowns wanted king and queen.
 
Major said:
oh plz. As soon as he went to UAE as test captain, he lost.

Dont take credit away from Misbah to praise him.

Great limited overs captain, but one of the worst test captains
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Why are you taking credit from him, who called him Oxygen for Pakistan’s Test side during the UAE Misbah run?
 
An inferior version of Rizwan who was lucky to have prime Amer and Fakhar in his team in CT 2017. Otherwise he would have nothing to show. His ego in announcing this utterly pointless retirement is hilarious.
 
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