Former Pakistan Captain Sarfraz Ahmed retires from international cricket

Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed announcement by former captain in an official statement

KARACHI: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-March 16^th, 2026) Former Pakistan Test captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has officially retired from international cricket, concluding a notable career that lasted nearly 20 years. The announcement was confirmed in a statement released by the Pakistan Cricket board (PCB).

The Karachi-born wicketkeeper-batter first appeared for Pakistan in One Day Internationals in 2007. He later debuted in both Test cricket and Twenty20 Internationals in 2010. Over the course of his international career, Sarfaraz represented Pakistan in 54 Tests, 117 ODIs and 61 T20Is.

Across all three formats, he accumulated 6,164 runs, which included six centuries and 35 half-centuries. As a wicketkeeper, he also delivered impressive performances behind the stumps, recording 315 catches and 56 stumpings.

Sarfaraz led Pakistan in 100 international matches, captaining the side in 50 ODIs, 37 T20Is and 13 Tests. During his leadership, Pakistan rose to the top position in the T20I rankings.

Under his captaincy, the team achieved a record-breaking run of 11 successive T20I series victories. Pakistan also completed six series whitewashes against opponents including West Indies cricket team (2016 and 2018), Sri Lanka national cricket team (2017), Australia national cricket team (2018), New Zealand national cricket team (2018) and Scotland national cricket team (2018).

His time as captain also coincided with the rise of several players who later became key figures in Pakistan cricket, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan, all of whom received early backing from him.

One of the most memorable moments of his captaincy came in the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India national cricket team by 180 runs at The Oval in England, securing a historic tournament victory.

With that triumph, Sarfaraz became the first Pakistani captain to lift the Champions Trophy. He also holds the distinction of being the only captain to win ICC titles at both junior and senior levels, having previously guided Pakistan to victory in the 2006 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka.

In recognition of his achievements and the Champions Trophy win, he received Pakistan’s Pride of Performance in 2018, making him the youngest Pakistan captain to earn the honour.

Among his personal milestones, Sarfaraz holds the national record for the most catches by a Pakistan wicketkeeper in a single Test match, taking 10 against South Africa national cricket team in Johannesburg in 2019. He also remains the only Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter to score an ODI century at Lord's Cricket Ground, which he achieved against England national cricket team in 2016.

Sarfaraz played his first international match in 2007 and made his final appearance for Pakistan in a Test match against Australia in Perth in 2023.

Reflecting on his career, Sarfaraz said representing Pakistan had been the greatest honour of his life. He recalled special memories from leading the Under-19 team to a world title in 2006 to lifting the Champions Trophy in 2017.

He expressed gratitude to his teammates, coaches, family and fans for their constant support. Sarfaraz also said captaining Pakistan in all three formats fulfilled a lifelong dream and noted that watching players like Babar, Fakhar, Hasan, Shaheen and Shadab develop into match-winners during his leadership was among his proudest achievements.

He further thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board for the confidence it placed in him throughout his career, adding that Pakistan cricket will always remain close to his heart and that he intends to continue supporting the sport in every way possible.