Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has reportedly left Pakistan and has shifted to London. The wicketkeeper-batsman last played for Pakistan during the Perth Test against Australia last month.
He was in the squad for the three-match series and was dropped from the playing eleven after the first Test. The veteran cricketer faced the axe after his struggle against pace in Australian conditions. He registered knocks of 3 and 4 in Perth as Australia thrashed Pakistan by 360 runs in the series-opener.
His replacement Mohammad Rizwan performed well with the bat in the next two games and is likely to be preferred in the Test team. Sarfaraz Ahmed has already lost his spot in Pakistan’s white-ball teams. He has not played an ODI or a T20I since 2021.
Sarfaraz Ahmed leaves Pakistan:
In 2019, Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked as Pakistan’s Test and T20I captain. The PCB took the decision after the team’s failure in the ODI World Cup. He was also dropped from both the teams for the tour of Australia. Sarfaraz did manage to make a comeback but never really managed to cement his spot in the team.
With his international career completely off the track, Sarfaraz Ahmed has decided to move to London, as per reports in Pakistani media. The former captain reportedly expressed gratitude for the countless memorable moments with the Pakistan team in a heartfelt farewell message.
He will settle in London with his wife and two children. The right-handed batsman, however, will soon return to Pakistan for the ninth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). PSL 2024 is scheduled to get underway next month. Sarfaraz Ahmed will ply his trade for Quetta Gladiators in the competition.
He has played 54 Tests, 117 ODIs and 61 T20Is so far and has scored over 6000 runs in international cricket with the help of 6 centuries and 35 half-centuries. In 2017, he guided Pakistan to their first-ever Champions Trophy title as the Men in Green beat arch-rivals India in the final in England. Sarfaraz Ahmed was also the captain when Pakistan won the Under-19 World Cup for the second time in 2006.