Sarfaraz Ahmed retires from international cricket

Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing the curtain down on a career that spanned nearly two decades and included one of Pakistan's most memorable white-ball triumphs.

The Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batter, who made his international debut in an ODI against India at Jaipur in November 2007, played 54 Tests, 117 ODIs and 61 T20Is, amassing a total of 6164 runs, including six centuries and 35 half-centuries. Behind the stumps, Sarfaraz finished with 315 catches and 56 stumpings.

Sarfaraz also captained Pakistan in 100 international matches across formats: 50 ODIs, 37 T20Is and 13 Tests. Under his leadership, Pakistan rose to the No. 1 ranking in T20I cricket and went on a world-record streak of 11 consecutive T20I series victories.

His captaincy era is most remembered for Pakistan's triumph at the 2017 Champions Trophy in England, where they beat India in the final by 180 runs ending an eight-year drought without an ICC title. With that win, Sarfaraz became the only captain to have led Pakistan to ICC titles at both junior and senior levels, having earlier captained the side to the ICC U19 World Cup triumph in 2006 in Sri Lanka - another tournament that ended with a win over India in the final.

Sarfaraz's appearances dwindled across formats following the emergence of Mohammad Rizwan. He last featured in Pakistan colour in the Perth Test in December 2023. He is now widely tipped to take over coaching duties with the national team with Pakistan set for another overhaul following a Super Eight exit in the recent T20 World Cup 2026.

"It has been the greatest honour of my life to represent Pakistan," Sarfaraz said in a statement. "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.

"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, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali 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 here to read article