Former Pakistan captain ends international career after Champions Trophy glory
March 15, 2026: Sarfaraz Ahmed has announced his retirement from all formats of cricket, bringing the curtain down on an international career that lasted nearly two decades. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter represented Pakistan national cricket team in 232 matches and also served as captain in 100 of them across formats. Sarfaraz made his international debut in an ODI against India national cricket team in 2007 and went on to become one of Pakistan’s most prominent leaders.
The highlight of his captaincy came in 2017 when Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 after defeating India in the final. Under Sarfaraz’s leadership, Pakistan also achieved the number one ranking in T20 Internationals and recorded an impressive run of 11 consecutive T20I series victories. He also holds a unique distinction of leading Pakistan to titles at both the junior and senior levels, having captained the side to victory in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2006 before lifting the Champions Trophy as senior captain.
In his playing career, Sarfaraz featured in 54 Tests, scoring 3,031 runs with four centuries, while in 117 ODIs he scored 2,315 runs. He also played 61 T20 Internationals and accumulated 818 runs in the format. Although he had not been part of Pakistan’s national team for some time — with his last white-ball appearance coming in 2021 and his most recent Test match in 2023 — Sarfaraz now officially brings his international journey to an end.