Sarfaraz Ahmed ( ur, ; born 22 May 1987) is a Pakistani professional cricketer, a
wicketkeeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding (cricket), fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a Caught, catch, Stumped, stump the batsman out and run out ...
-
batsman
In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball, ball with a cricket bat, bat to score runs (cricket), runs and prevent the dismissal (cricket), loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since Septembe ...
, who plays for the
Pakistani national cricket team
The Pakistan national cricket team or Pak cricket team, often referred to as the Shaheens (), Green Shirts, Men in Green and Cornered Tigers is administered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team is a Full Member of the International C ...
. He was the former captain of the Pakistan side in all formats. He leads
Quetta Gladiators
Quetta Gladiators (Urdu, Balochi: ; Pashto: کویټه ګلیډیټرز) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 cricket franchise that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They play most home games at the 27,000-capacity Gaddafi Stadium ...
in the
Pakistan Super League
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league contested during February and March of every year by six teams representing six cities of Pakistan. The league was founded on 9 September 2015 with five teams by the Paki ...
.
Sarfaraz was named as Pakistan's
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...
captain following the
2016 ICC World Twenty20 in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He was named Pakistan's ODI Captain on 9 February 2017 after
Azhar Ali
Azhar Ali ( ur, ; born 19 February 1985) is a Pakistani former international cricketer. He also captained Pakistan national team in Test and ODI cricket.
Ali made his Test debut for Pakistan against Australia in the first Test at Lord's in ...
stepped down. He took up the Test captaincy mantle for his team following the retirement of
Misbah-ul-Haq
; born 28 May 1974) is a former Pakistani cricket coach and former international cricketer. Misbah captained Pakistan in all formats and is former head coach and former chief selector of the Pakistan national team.
A late bloomer, Misbah was a midd ...
and hence became the 32nd Test captain of the
Pakistan Cricket Team
The Pakistan national cricket team or Pak cricket team, often referred to as the Shaheens (), Green Shirts, Men in Green and Cornered Tigers is administered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team is a Full Member of the International ...
in doing so. Under his captaincy, Pakistan won the
Champions Trophy in June 2017. In March 2018, on
Pakistan Day
The Resolution Day ( ur, , translit=Yawm-e-Qarārdād), also known as the Pakistan Day ( ur, , translit=Yawm-e-Pākistān) and Republic Day, is a national holiday in Pakistan primarily commemorating the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the Mu ...
, Sarfaraz became the youngest cricketer to be awarded with the
Sitara-i-Imtiaz
The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...
.
In August 2018, he was one of thirty-three players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the
Pakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Counc ...
(PCB). In January 2019, in the second ODI
against South Africa, he played his 100th ODI match. Later in the same series, he was banned for four matches after admitting making a racist remark to South African
Andile Phehlukwayo
Andile Lucky Phehlukwayo (born 3 March 1996) is a South African professional cricketer. He is a left handed lower order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium. He made his international debut for South Africa in September 2016.
Early life
Pheh ...
.
Early life and family
Sarfaraz Ahmed was born on 22 May 1987 in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
, Pakistan to a family with a printing press business.
His ancestors were from
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
(now a part of India). His father died back in 2006.
He married Syeda Khushbakht in 2015; the couple have two children.
International career
Early career
One Day International
Sarfaraz's notable achievement during the early days of his career was winning the
ICC U-19 World Cup in 2006 where he led the
Pakistani team and defeated India in the final in a low-scoring encounter.
Sarfaraz was called up by
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
as a cover for
Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal (Urdu, pa, ; born 13 January 1982) is a Pakistani former cricketer, who played for Pakistan as a right-handed batsman & wicketkeeper. He started his international career in November 2002 with a Test match at Harare Sports Club. ...
who had a finger injury in the one-day series against
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in November 2007. He made his
ODI debut in the final match of the series, on 18 November 2007. He didn't get a chance to bat as Pakistan had won the match before he was needed to bat.
In 2008, Sarfaraz was selected ahead of
Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal (Urdu, pa, ; born 13 January 1982) is a Pakistani former cricketer, who played for Pakistan as a right-handed batsman & wicketkeeper. He started his international career in November 2002 with a Test match at Harare Sports Club. ...
for the
Asia Cup.
In 2015, Sarfaraz was selected for
2015 Cricket World Cup
The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was jointly hosted by A ...
but did not get a chance to play in the first four matches. Due to the first frequent losses, he was selected for Pakistan's fifth match of the event against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
where he scored 49 runs off 49 balls and took 6 catches as a
wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. ...
and equalled the ODI record for most dismissals (6 dismissals). Also, he equalled
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist (; born 14 November 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer and captain of the Australia national cricket team. He was an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-ke ...
's record for the most dismissals as a wicketkeeper in a single World Cup innings (6) He was rewarded with the 'Man of the Match' award. In his second match in the world cup, he scored 101* against
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and he was again named the Man of the Match. That win gave
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
a spot in the Quarterfinals of the World Cup.
Test
He made his
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
match debut in
Hobart on 14 January 2010, in the
third Test match against
Australia, replacing Kamran Akmal who suffered an "error-ridden performance" in the second Test.
[ His unimpressive batting saw him dropped from the team after just one match.] He was dropped again after one match.
Return to international cricket (2011)
Sarfaraz returned to the international team for the
ODI series against Sri Lanka in November 2011 and for the subsequent series against Bangladesh and the Asia Cup. In the final of the tournament he scored a crucial 46 not out (the highest score from his team) as Pakistan won the match by 2 runs. He was consequently rewarded a Category C contract and selected for Pakistan's next series against Sri Lanka, again for T20Is.
Vice-captaincy
After
Misbah retired from the ODI format of the game after the
2015 Cricket World Cup
The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was jointly hosted by A ...
, Sarfraz was emerging to be a potential successor. However, the
PCB went with
Azhar Ali
Azhar Ali ( ur, ; born 19 February 1985) is a Pakistani former international cricketer. He also captained Pakistan national team in Test and ODI cricket.
Ali made his Test debut for Pakistan against Australia in the first Test at Lord's in ...
for the captaincy and considering Sarfaraz's leadership in the Pakistan U-19 team, appointed him as the vice-captain of the ODI team.
Sri Lanka Test series (2015)
During the first Test against
Sri Lanka at
Galle
Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Southern ...
, Sarfaraz stabilized the Pakistan's innings with a knock of 96 runs in just 85 balls, falling just four runs short of a century when he was bowled by Sri Lankan pacer
Dhammika Prasad
Kariyawasam Tirana Gamage Dhammika Prasad ( si, ධම්මික ප්රසාද්; born 30 May 1983), or simply Dhammika Prasad, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, and current bowling coach of the Nepal national cricket team. He is a r ...
. During his knock, he became the 7th Pakistani wicketkeeper to reach 1000 Test runs, in 28 inns, jointly the fastest Pakistani wicket-keeper with
Imtiaz Ahmed. That knock also earned him the Man of the Match award.
Sarfaraz was dropped from the T20 series that followed the Test series against Sri Lanka. Many fans back home were shocked and started to raise questions. Pakistani coach
Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis Maitla HI (Punjabi, ur, ; born 16 November 1971) is a Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who captained Pakistan national cricket team. A right-arm fast bowler, Waqar Younis is regarded as one of the great ...
said on 6 August that Sarfraz is a key Pakistani player and he should be the next T20 captain of Pakistan.
Zimbabwe ODI series (2015)
Due to a foot injury sustained by usual ODI captain Azhar Ali, Sarfaraz became the captain for the
third ODI against Zimbabwe on 5 October 2015. He recorded first win in his debut match as a captain.
Captaincy
T20I captaincy
After a horrendous
T20 World Cup 2016 campaign, the T20I captain
Shahid Afridi resigned and the
PCB appointed Sarfaraz as the captain of the national T20 team on 5 April 2016. He won his first match in the only T20I against England by nine wickets. Later, in a 3-match series, his team whitewashed the
2016 ICC World Twenty20's champion, West Indies. Pakistan ranked Number 1 in
ICC rankings for T20 Internationals in late 2018. Under his captaincy, Pakistan won 11 consecutive T20 series. The teams included West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, England & Zimbabwe against which Pakistan won the series. Pakistan also white-washed the opponent in a bilateral series on 5 occasions under his captaincy.
ODI captaincy
On 9 February 2017 following the resignation of then captain Azhar Ali from ODI captaincy, Sarfaraz Ahmed was chosen to succeed him. He became the full-time limited overs captain of Pakistan. He also became the vice-captain for Pakistan's Test team.
In his first series as an ODI captain, Pakistan beat West Indies by 2–1.
His first major tournament as a captain was the
2017 ICC Champions Trophy. In the pool matches, Pakistan lost to India, but went on to win against South Africa and Sri Lanka to enter semi-finals. In the semi-final, Pakistan beat the host England comprehensively to enter Pakistan's first Champions Trophy final. In the final against arch-rivals India, Pakistan posted a massive total of 338 and won the match convincingly to become the champions. He was also named the captain and wicket keeper of the 'Team of the Tournament' at the 2017 Champions Trophy by the ICC and Cricinfo.
Test captaincy
On 28 September 2017,
against Sri Lanka, he became the
32nd captain of Pakistan in Tests. Sri Lanka won the Test series by 2–0. It was Pakistan's first
whitewash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used.
...
defeat in the United Arab Emirates, and only the second whitewash in a home series after losing to
Australia in October 2002.
Suspension, dropped as captain
In January 2019, during the second ODI of the series
against South Africa, Sarfaraz was caught on the
stump mics using a racial slur towards
Andile Phehlukwayo
Andile Lucky Phehlukwayo (born 3 March 1996) is a South African professional cricketer. He is a left handed lower order batsman who bowls right-arm fast-medium. He made his international debut for South Africa in September 2016.
Early life
Pheh ...
. He played in the third ODI match, but was then suspended by the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the ' ...
(ICC) for the next four matches, missing the last two ODIs and the first two T20Is of the tour.
Shoaib Malik captained the Pakistan team in Sarfaraz's place. The following month, the PCB confirmed Sarfaraz as the team's captain, and stated he would lead the squad at the
2019 Cricket World Cup
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 12th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted between 30 May ...
.
In April 2019, he was named as the captain of
Pakistan's squad for the
2019 Cricket World Cup
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 12th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted between 30 May ...
. Under his captaincy, Pakistan managed to win five out of their nine matches, losing three and one no result. Pakistan couldn't qualify for the semi-finals as their net run rate was less than New Zealand's.
In October 2019, ahead of Pakistan's
tour to Australia, Sarfaraz was sacked as captain of Pakistan's team, following Pakistan's poor run of form.
Azhar Ali
Azhar Ali ( ur, ; born 19 February 1985) is a Pakistani former international cricketer. He also captained Pakistan national team in Test and ODI cricket.
Ali made his Test debut for Pakistan against Australia in the first Test at Lord's in ...
and
Babar Azam were named as the captains of the Test and T20I squads respectively. Under his leadership, Pakistan won 29 of their matches out of 37 and reached No.1 Spot in T20Is rankings. In ODI's and under his leadership,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
played 50 matches out of which they won 28 matches, lost 20 matches and had a winning rate of 58.33.
In June 2020, he was named in a 29-man squad for Pakistan's
tour to England during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. In July, he was shortlisted in Pakistan's 20-man squad for the Test matches against England but he was overlooked and did not play a single test.
Domestic and franchise cricket
Sarfaraz was picked by
Quetta Gladiators
Quetta Gladiators (Urdu, Balochi: ; Pashto: کویټه ګلیډیټرز) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 cricket franchise that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They play most home games at the 27,000-capacity Gaddafi Stadium ...
in the
Pakistan Super League
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league contested during February and March of every year by six teams representing six cities of Pakistan. The league was founded on 9 September 2015 with five teams by the Paki ...
(PSL) players' draft on 21 December 2015. He was selected to be the franchise captain for the 2016 season. He led the Gladiators all the way through to the final, losing only two matches before it. But still, his team just couldn't make it and they lost in the final to
Islamabad United
Islamabad United ( ur, ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). It was the inaugural champion of the Pakistan Super League. The team is based in Islamabad, the capital ci ...
. In the second season of 2017, he once again led Quetta to the final, but Quetta lost by 58 runs against Peshawar. Which meant that Quetta had lost the PSL final for the second time in a row. In the third season (2018),
Quetta Gladiators
Quetta Gladiators (Urdu, Balochi: ; Pashto: کویټه ګلیډیټرز) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 cricket franchise that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They play most home games at the 27,000-capacity Gaddafi Stadium ...
could not manage to qualify for the final and were defeated by
Peshawar Zalmi
Peshawar Zalmi ( ur, ; ps, پېښور زلمي; literally meaning "Peshawar's youth") is a Pakistani franchise T20 cricket team which plays in the Pakistan Super League and represents Peshawar, the capital city of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pro ...
by 1 run in the first eliminator. He once again captained Quetta Gladiators in the
fourth season of PSL leading the team to win the tournament for the first time, defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the final match.
In September 2019, Sarfaraz was named the captain of
Sindh for the
2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy
The 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy was a first-class domestic cricket competition that took place in Pakistan from 14 September to 31 December 2019. Habib Bank Limited were the defending champions. However, after the new domestic structure annou ...
tournament. In October 2020, he was drafted by the Galle Gladiators for the
inaugural edition of the
Lanka Premier League
The Lanka Premier League (abbreviated as LPL; , ) is a professional cricket league in Sri Lanka in Twenty20 format contested every year by teams representing Sri Lankan cities from 2020. The league was founded by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in 201 ...
. In November 2021, he was selected to play for the
Galle Gladiators
Galle Gladiators are a Sri Lankan franchise professional Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka and representing the city of Galle, Southern Province. Nadeem Omar, who owns the Quetta Gladiators in Paki ...
following the players' draft for the
2021 Lanka Premier League
The 2021 Lanka Premier League also known as Wolf777 News LPL T20, for sponsorship reasons, was the second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in Sri Lanka. It took place from 5 to 23 December 2021. Th ...
. In July 2022, he was signed by the
Galle Gladiators
Galle Gladiators are a Sri Lankan franchise professional Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka and representing the city of Galle, Southern Province. Nadeem Omar, who owns the Quetta Gladiators in Paki ...
for the
third edition of the
Lanka Premier League
The Lanka Premier League (abbreviated as LPL; , ) is a professional cricket league in Sri Lanka in Twenty20 format contested every year by teams representing Sri Lankan cities from 2020. The league was founded by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in 201 ...
.
Awards
*PCB's Outstanding Player of the year: 2017
*
Sitara-e-Imtiaz
The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...
(2018) - Pakistan's third highest civilian award
* PCB's Spirit of cricket award: 2018
References
External links
*
Sarfraz Ahmed Profile On ICC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Sarfraz
1987 births
Living people
Karachi cricketers
Muhajir people
Pakistan Test cricketers
Pakistan One Day International cricketers
Pakistan Twenty20 International cricketers
Pakistani cricketers
Cricketers from Karachi
Karachi Whites cricketers
Karachi Dolphins cricketers
Pakistan International Airlines cricketers
Sindh cricketers
Cricketers at the 2015 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2019 Cricket World Cup
Pakistani cricket captains
Pakistan Test cricket captains
Quetta Gladiators cricketers
Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Wicket-keepers