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Sarfaraz Ahmed - Pakistan's best ever wicket-keeper batsman?

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We've had some good keeper batsmen like Rashid Latif and Moin. Even Zulqarnain and Adnan Akmal were decent but surely Sarfaraz is the best keeper batsman we've ever produced. Scores runs and hardly drops a catch. Do other's here agree?. Thankfully, I don't ever see the terrible Kamran Akmal returning to the side.
 
Easily. Rashid was the best with the gloves, but nobody's batting comes close to Sarfraz's.
 
He is the greatest wicket keeper batsman Pakistan has ever produced.

Moin Khan was a very good batsman too but he mostly batted in the last 10 overs. Had he batted in the middle order, his stats would have been better. I remember he played a game as a specialist batsman and scored a 50. Rashid kept wickets in that game.

Don't rate Akmal as a keeper at all. Even though, he played some good knocks but he was very inconsistent and I have never seen a worst keeper than him.
 
For me, it was Kamran Akmal but if Sarfraz continues like this....he'll not only be the best WK but one of the best batsman and would be compared to Sangakkara but only if his consistency level is as of him.
 
It's still Kami. Kami was once the complete package in all 3 formats, Sarfraz yet to reach that level.

A Kakmal walking out to bat at #6 in tests and walking out to open in 50 or 20 overs cricket was once a feared sight for the opposition. Sarfraz doesn't demand that respect yet. Maybe he will eventually, we'll see.
 
Suleiman said:
It's still Kami. Kami was once the complete package in all 3 formats, Sarfraz yet to reach that level.

A Kakmal walking out to bat at #6 in tests and walking out to open in 50 or 20 overs cricket was once a feared sight for the opposition. Sarfraz doesn't demand that respect yet. Maybe he will eventually, we'll see.
Click to expand...

Kami was way too inconsistent and pathetic batsman.
 
Suleiman said:
It's still Kami. Kami was once the complete package in all 3 formats, Sarfraz yet to reach that level.

A Kakmal walking out to bat at #6 in tests and walking out to open in 50 or 20 overs cricket was once a feared sight for the opposition. Sarfraz doesn't demand that respect yet. Maybe he will eventually, we'll see.
Click to expand...

:facepalm: Sully Bahi Trolling ki bhi hadh hoti hay Yar :sanga
 
Actually agree with Suleiman, even Kami had a 2-3 year peak where he performed similarly to Sarfraz has over the last few years. If Sarfraz can keep it up for a couple more years then I'll take him easily as the best.
 
Sarfraz has been unexpectedly outperforming in all the formats with utmost consistency by Pakistani batting standards until now, despite lacking the art of aggression, he has still came up with stunning scores and spectacular strike rates due to his ability of strike rotation which has been a dream for many Pakistani fans for quite a long time now. His batting abilities, apart from playing those aggressive strokes, is indubitable looking at his recent performances where he has demonstrated himself as a well-accomplished player in the underdeveloped, inconsistent and unpredictable side. His hardworking abilities is something which distinguishes him from the rest of the youngsters slot.

In my regards, he is still in the good books of his team-mates, coaches and the selectors and most importantly, the fans, which gives him a slight edge over others to assemble his career in an unbiased way which has been a problem for many youngsters in the past decade or so. His courteous manner is one of the reasons why he is so much compatible with the seniors and the youngsters at the same time while his adequate and non-provocative response to the media is something to be noted as this level of comfort between the captain and the players was never seen in the past for at least a decade which gives us the sanction for his well-being as a captain.

Moreover, his formidable wicket keeping artistry expands his caliber as a professional and one can rely on his sumptuous statistics and lavishing catches on the field to back my statement. The milestone for taking the most number of catches in an ODI innings is something which he achieved earlier in his career by picking six breath-taking catches to mark his name on the list with the likes of Gilchrist and Stewart. He is someone energetic as a youngster and pundit as a player because you cannot rate him less then an expert while his recent approach towards the game has changed in a satisfying manner since his aim is not to reach personal milestones but to win it for his country and to receive the respect that he deserves.

All in all, he has already shown the signs of becoming an all-time great, may the hard work pursue and the consistency continue; he is someone, Pakistan was hunting for quite a long time.
 
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Haroon786 said:
Actually agree with Suleiman, even Kami had a 2-3 year peak where he performed similarly to Sarfraz has over the last few years. If Sarfraz can keep it up for a couple more years then I'll take him easily as the best.
Click to expand...

Kami's best year in test cricket yielded an avg 44, while his best year in ODIs ended with him averaging 38.
Kamran wasn't a gun batsman at all but he did play some memorable knocks.
 
Lol are people seriously calling Kami our best WK batsman ever? :))) The guy couldn't even do his primary job properly, how the hell can anyone consider him the best. I'd take a jobber batsman like Latif over Kami tbh.
 
Red Devil said:
Lol are people seriously calling Kami our best WK batsman ever? :))) The guy couldn't even do his primary job properly, how the hell can anyone consider him the best. I'd take a jobber batsman like Latif over Kami tbh.
Click to expand...

Kami's being a good batsman is the biggest myth in cricket, dude avgs 26 in ODI and 30 in tests
 
Uzair Gooner said:
Kami's best year in test cricket yielded an avg 44, while his best year in ODIs ended with him averaging 38.
Kamran wasn't a gun batsman at all but he did play some memorable knocks.
Click to expand...

If Sarfraz has a great next few series both in Tests and in ICC tournaments, then he'll be the greatest PK WK.
 
Pure keeper - Rashid or Wasim Bari (from what I've heard of Bari)

Keeper batsman - Sarfaraz is light years ahead
 
Wasim Bari was the best gloveman. But Sarfraz is well on his way to becoming our best WK-batsman.
 
He has a long way to go & if he continues like this, he surely will outshine Moin & Rashid.
 
Yes Way Ahead.


Keeping wise Rashid or Bari. Did not see Bari's keeping but Rashid considers him a better keeper than himself.
 
Rashid Latif was stunning as WK.

Sarfaraz is getting more consistent these days .....
 
Too early for this

He is in fantastic form he needs to push his ODI average to 40+, rite now he is hovering around 32-33. Really want him to play for 5+ years for Pakistan & captain Pakistan, he is more or less similar to Moin Khan. Moin Khan was'nt the best but had safe hands, he initially dropped catches also. His batting brought him into contention, a matchwinner who saved Pakistan from being dismantled, hope Sarfaraz can go n his path and improve his keeping a little more. Don't want another Kamran Akmal.
 
Kam was a terrible keeper. Keeper batman first job is to keep wicket well that he repeatedly failed at. Sarfraz as a batsman is not as fluent to watch but sure is a far better keeper.
 
People calling for Kami. What has the world come to?


Sarfaraz is light years ahead of Kami in both departments.
 
Kami failed both as batsman and keeper.He was a dubious character.Sarfraz is miles ahead of kami in both departments.Hope that kami never makes into our team again.
 
Don't know about that but he DID shut a lot of people up here . Like they straight up started avoiding Sarfraz threads .That's what "doing" does rather than just talking like Afridi ,Shezad and AKmal jr. I am sure they will be out in force with just a minor slip up tough .
 
Bari has been the best keeper, Rashid comes 2nd. Moeen was the best keeper-batsman. Sarfaraz's keeping is no better than Kami, so far and Kami was really a good batsman.
 
Suleiman said:
It's still Kami. Kami was once the complete package in all 3 formats, Sarfraz yet to reach that level.

A Kakmal walking out to bat at #6 in tests and walking out to open in 50 or 20 overs cricket was once a feared sight for the opposition. Sarfraz doesn't demand that respect yet. Maybe he will eventually, we'll see.
Click to expand...





bhie khuda ka khof kro

kamaran akmal is worst ever seen behind the stumps again note worst ever pakistani


AS WK . GREATEST EVER WAS RASHID LATIF

AS BAT YOU CAN SAY K AKMAL SY BETTER


WHEN THINK COME TO WIKETKEPER BATSMAN THEN SARFRAZ IS AUSOME


EVEN RIZWAN IS GOOD IN BEHIND THE STUMPS AND ALSO GOOD BATSMAN




I THINK INJUSTICE IS DONE WITH ADNAN AKMAL

HE WAS GOOD CHOISE FOR TESTS ATLEAST HE SHOULD BE KEPT IN BACKUP ONLY FOR TESTS
 
I can't believe this myth that Kami was a good batsman.

Please take a look at his average....

He was mediocre with the bat and even worse with gloves.

Of course throughout his long career he has played a few amazing innings, but he was not consistent at all.
 
AZHARALIFAN27 said:
bhie khuda ka khof kro

kamaran akmal is worst ever seen behind the stumps again note worst ever pakistani


AS WK . GREATEST EVER WAS RASHID LATIF

AS BAT YOU CAN SAY K AKMAL SY BETTER


WHEN THINK COME TO WIKETKEPER BATSMAN THEN SARFRAZ IS AUSOME


EVEN RIZWAN IS GOOD IN BEHIND THE STUMPS AND ALSO GOOD BATSMAN




I THINK INJUSTICE IS DONE WITH ADNAN AKMAL

HE WAS GOOD CHOISE FOR TESTS ATLEAST HE SHOULD BE KEPT IN BACKUP ONLY FOR TESTS
Click to expand...

Khuda ka khof hai isi liye bechare Kami kay drop catches maaf kar diye.
 
Very easily. A great batsman, decent keeper, and a brilliant captain so far

Will only improve
 
Pak hasn't had that many good wk batsman. Tbh India too was the same with the Nayan Mongias and Saba Karims but Dhoni bucked the trend. Sarfaraz might be the guy for Pakistan.

Sri Lanka have produced the best wk batsmen in Asia.
 
Suleiman said:
It's still Kami. Kami was once the complete package in all 3 formats, Sarfraz yet to reach that level.

A Kakmal walking out to bat at #6 in tests and walking out to open in 50 or 20 overs cricket was once a feared sight for the opposition. Sarfraz doesn't demand that respect yet. Maybe he will eventually, we'll see.
Click to expand...

assalamualaikum kami bhai
kyu yaha forum shorum pr apna waqt zaaya krte hain aap
yaha ke log aapke asli talent ko nai pehchaan payege
 
Is Sarfraz Ahmed the best ever Pakistani wicketkeeper batsman?

He's too good by our standards. Is gutsy and has street fighter attitude, and always looks to score. Don't think we've seen before a keeper batsman who was proficient with the gloves AND bat like this.

People say Bari is the best keeper, which might be true if you think purely as a keeper, but as a batsman left a lot to be desired.

Dropped a catch off Nawaz today, but other than that he is the only one in the team who doesn't dead bat the ball like his life depends on it, instead he pushes the game forward.

Will his keeping and batting hold up in Australia?

but yeah gotta feel for Nawaz.
 
Potential is there.

However, his keeping isn't all that great to be regarded as best wicket keeper batsmen for Pakistan.
 
Keeping is average . . but yeah! Brilliant batsman and extremely important to our cause
 
Yes, but needs to convert these 40s and 50s into bigger knocks more regularly, especially with his promotion to 6.
 
street cricketer said:
Pak hasn't had that many good wk batsman. Tbh India too was the same with the Nayan Mongias and Saba Karims but Dhoni bucked the trend. Sarfaraz might be the guy for Pakistan.

Sri Lanka have produced the best wk batsmen in Asia.
Click to expand...

tbf, we had Farokh Engineer in the 70s. And Mongia was no mug with the bat. Inconsistent but pretty gutsy.
 
Yes he is, but I'm getting very frustrated with him throwing his wicket away after getting a start.

He has been doing this in Tests for a year now, has seemingly forgotten how to score big.

It has been ages since his last hundred.
 
Sidilicious said:
tbf, we had Farokh Engineer in the 70s. And Mongia was no mug with the bat. Inconsistent but pretty gutsy.
Click to expand...

Is Farokh Engineer a proper WK?

Cos I have heard people raving about his batting.

If so, then why does [MENTION=97523]Buffet[/MENTION] say Dhoni will make the Asian Test XI as a WK?
 
He is doing well lately but we should not be carried away to make him the best ever for Pak. Even Kamran was better WK/batsman than him. Don;t think any of us saw him but if we go by record Imtiaz Ahmed was a very good wk/batsman in test and there were no ODI then. Moeen was an equally good batsman and a better keeper than Sarfaraz and Rashid was definitely a better keep and perhaps did not achieve that much as batsman. Bari has been the best keep we ever had and Saleem Yousuf was a better keeper and equally good batsman. Taslim Arif was a very good batsman and a good keeper with a test 200 under his belt. Sarfarz has a long way to go before becoming even 2nd best but does have talent to become the best ever for Pak.
 
Best Keeper: Tie Between Bari/Saleem Yousuf/Rashid Latif

Best WK Batsman: Kamran Akmal

Best Combo: Sarfraz
 
Too early I think to give him that accolade. His keeping has been good, but he has dropped quite a few chances, nowhere near as immaculate as Rashid Latif.

His batting has been great so far, but it is too early to say whether he will be able to sustain it over a career as there are quite a few underlying problems in his technique.
 
hailian said:
Best Keeper: Tie Between Bari/Saleem Yousuf/Rashid Latif

Best WK Batsman: Kamran Akmal

Best Combo: Sarfraz
Click to expand...

Saleep Yousuf was not a god keeper, he was like Akmal and Sarfaraz, Imran Khan liked him as he was a great team man and would perform best with bat in pressure situation.
 
Barting wise kmran was not bad, but he was horrible with the gloves. Yes sarfraz and i love his aggressive, positive, brave nature. Always in the game, always energetic, willing to fight.
 
Best wicketkeeper we've ever had. Will go down at least as a Pakistani great.

We've had wicketkeepers who could keep well e.g. Bari, Rashid Latif but we've never really had one who could bat and rival the specialist batsmen in the team.

Kami was not good at all. Just look at his average in all three formats. Awful, for someone who's in mostly for his batting (well T20 is ok, but not spectacular, and pales in comparison to Sarfraz). Just because he played the odd spectacular test innings and his keeping was decent early on in his career does not put him anywhere near Sarfraz's level.
 
I wasn't aware that so many Pak fans rate Sarfaraz that highly. I agree that he's a tremendous batsman for us, especially in test cricket. But to be the best Pakistani wicket-keeper/batsman he has to be good at that first job: wicket-keeping. Contrary to the opinion here, I've actually been quite dissapointed with Sarfaraz' keeping. I really hope he improves, because his batting is incredibly useful!

I don't expect him to affect more runouts/stumpings, but he should at least hold on to sitters! If he can do that, it will go some way in making him the best Pakistani wicket-keeper/batsman. I will stick to Wasim Bari for now!
 
sensible-indian-fan said:
Is Farokh Engineer a proper WK?

Cos I have heard people raving about his batting.

If so, then why does [MENTION=97523]Buffet[/MENTION] say Dhoni will make the Asian Test XI as a WK?
Click to expand...

I normally say that Dhoni will make a strong case as Keeper batman.
 
Interesting to know how many Posters from Sindh think its Sarfaraz
and how many from Punjab think its Kami
 
qaiser said:
Interesting to know how many Posters from Sindh think its Sarfaraz
and how many from Punjab think its Kami
Click to expand...

LOL no one in their right mind is going to say Kami, you've been here 10 years now stop making stuff up.
 
LegendAli said:
LOL no one in their right mind is going to say Kami, you've been here 10 years now stop making stuff up.
Click to expand...
Just browse the responses before making a judgment.
Many of the posters think Kami is better batsman
Its sad to bring regionalism in Cricket

how come you have just 3 posts but know I am making stuff up
 
Last edited:
Mamoon said:
Yes he is, but I'm getting very frustrated with him throwing his wicket away after getting a start.

He has been doing this in Tests for a year now, has seemingly forgotten how to score big.

It has been ages since his last hundred.
Click to expand...

Big testament to Sarfraz's work.

Was a nothing bat a couple years ago, and now one of the best batting keepers in the world.

Agree though. He needs to put a higher value on his test wicket. He's not just there to get quick runs after the top scores big to up the rate, if the wickets fall, he needs to understand he is a batsmen just as any other and needs to stay at the crease as long as possible.
 
Buffet said:
I normally say that Dhoni will make a strong case as Keeper batman.
Click to expand...

I know bro.

But I never knew Farokh Engineer was a keeper.

If he was a proper keeper, Dhoni has no case (of course, we both didn't know about Engineer as keeper).

Engineer would the WK of the Indian as well as Asian team.
 
Ilan Bluestone said:
Big testament to Sarfraz's work.

Was a nothing bat a couple years ago, and now one of the best batting keepers in the world.

Agree though. He needs to put a higher value on his test wicket. He's not just there to get quick runs after the top scores big to up the rate, if the wickets fall, he needs to understand he is a batsmen just as any other and needs to stay at the crease as long as possible.
Click to expand...

Yes, his improvement has been almost magical, but he seems to have hit a plateau now. Obviously it is unrealistic to expect him to maintain his 2014-15 which was a bit of a purple patch, but like you said, he certainly needs to put a higher value on his wicket.

Throwing it away again and again after getting set is more infuriating than getting out cheaply.
 
A very reliable keeper-bat. Even his keeping has improved. You mean to tell me that sticking with a good player results in good performances? What is this sorcery?
 
LegendAli said:
LOL no one in their right mind is going to say Kami, you've been here 10 years now stop making stuff up.
Click to expand...

Lol did you even go through the thread??

a good 30-35% are saying Kami

and the worst thing is that this thread was made only last month

if it was made 2 years ago there was maybe some reason other than regional bias to not put Sarfaraz at toop
 
Mamoon said:
Yes, his improvement has been almost magical, but he seems to have hit a plateau now. Obviously it is unrealistic to expect him to maintain his 2014-15 which was a bit of a purple patch, but like you said, he certainly needs to put a higher value on his wicket.

Throwing it away again and again after getting set is more infuriating than getting out cheaply.
Click to expand...

I think you give him a bit of a short stick. He's proven us wrong already, so we should give him the benefit of the doubt.

Keeping though will always leave a lot to be desired.

Don't really know if we have anyone in the pipelines though who can replace him though.

Why can't we have a batting keeper who can keep against both speed and spin?
 
If I have to pick one, here's my choice

Test: Rashid Latif
ODI: Moeen Khan
T/20: Kamran
 
qaiser said:
Just browse the responses before making a judgment.
Many of the posters think Kami is better batsman
Its sad to bring regionalism in Cricket

how come you have just 3 posts but know I am making stuff up
Click to expand...

My bad, but you should know where I was coming from.

@ those people. :yk
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A record for Sarfaraz Ahmed <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/CWL4Pvpwna">pic.twitter.com/CWL4Pvpwna</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1084421851558936581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Yep.

Good thing is he has improved his keeping alot after Ireland series. Now i can refer to him as a safe keeper (every keeper drops few catches here and there).

Though he has ability to end as 40+ average batsman with 70+ SR. That will stamp him as undoubted best Pakistani keeper-batsman.
 
SarfiBabarHaris said:
Yep.

Good thing is he has improved his keeping alot after Ireland series. Now i can refer to him as a safe keeper (every keeper drops few catches here and there).

Though he has ability to end as 40+ average batsman with 70+ SR. That will stamp him as undoubted best Pakistani keeper-batsman.
Click to expand...

He would have been considered a very good test wicket keeper (#4 behind Wasim Bari, Rashid Latif and Kamran Akmal) if he was not captain. Captaincy has make him look way bad than he is.
 
srh said:
He would have been considered a very good test wicket keeper (#4 behind Wasim Bari, Rashid Latif and Kamran Akmal) if he was not captain. Captaincy has make him look way bad than he is.
Click to expand...

haha Kami Akmal 3rd best Pakistani wicket keeper ?
 
srh said:
He would have been considered a very good test wicket keeper (#4 behind Wasim Bari, Rashid Latif and Kamran Akmal) if he was not captain. Captaincy has make him look way bad than he is.
Click to expand...

Lol, Kamraan Akmal is one of, if not the worst player to play for Pakistan consistently in history.

His batting was Afridi level with the odd decent innings and his keeping was nothing short of atrocious. I’m not talking about taking some random athletic catches. His keeping technique with hard heads etc was awful, and no one else dropped as many easy catches as him.

To say Sarfaraz is behind him, is just bias and shows a lack of cricketing knowledge.
 
SarfiBabarHaris said:
haha Kami Akmal 3rd best Pakistani wicket keeper ?
Click to expand...

Forum363 said:
Lol, Kamraan Akmal is one of, if not the worst player to play for Pakistan consistently in history.

His batting was Afridi level with the odd decent innings and his keeping was nothing short of atrocious. I’m not talking about taking some random athletic catches. His keeping technique with hard heads etc was awful, and no one else dropped as many easy catches as him.

To say Sarfaraz is behind him, is just bias and shows a lack of cricketing knowledge.
Click to expand...

talking strictly about Tests
 
Yes he is and by some distance. He is a good keeper and as a batsman his average is second best in current line up despite dip in last 18 months. I agree he should give up test captaincy he will play much freely
 
I think captaincy has had a toll on his batting as I feel he doesn't work hard enough in it. He should be removed of captaincy but should continue as a player.
 
Not too impressive today with that drop and missed stumping.
 
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