Babar Azam pays tribute to Sarfaraz Ahmed after retirement from international cricket

Top-order batter Babar Azam has shared a heartfelt message for former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed following his retirement from international cricket.

Taking to social media platform X, Babar reflected on Sarfaraz’s leadership and the time they spent together in Pakistan cricket.

"Saifi Bhai, playing under your leadership was a privilege. Thank you for your guidance, belief, and the memories you gave Pakistan cricket. Wishing you success and peace in this new chapter of life," Babar wrote.

Sarfaraz, who currently serves on the Pakistan men’s selection committee, announced his retirement on Sunday, bringing to a close a distinguished career spanning nearly two decades.

The 37-year-old wicketkeeper-batter made his One Day International (ODI) debut in 2007, followed by his Test and T20I debuts in 2010. 

Over the course of his international career, he featured in 54 Tests, 117 ODIs, and 61 T20Is, amassing 6,164 runs, including six centuries and 35 half-centuries. Behind the stumps, he claimed 315 catches and completed 56 stumpings.

Sarfaraz’s captaincy was particularly noteworthy. He led Pakistan in 100 international matches across formats, guiding the team to the No.1 T20I ranking. 

Under his leadership, Pakistan set a world-record streak of 11 consecutive T20I series victories and achieved six series clean sweeps against sides including the West Indies (twice), Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and Scotland.

He also played a pivotal role in nurturing the next generation of Pakistan stars, giving early opportunities to players such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan.

The pinnacle of his captaincy came in 2017 when Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India by 180 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy final at The Oval. 

With this triumph, Sarfaraz became the first Pakistan captain to lift the Champions Trophy and remains the only captain to have won ICC titles at both junior and senior levels, having previously led Pakistan to the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup title in Sri Lanka in 2006.

In recognition of his achievements, including the Champions Trophy success, Sarfaraz was awarded the Pride of Performance in 2018, becoming the youngest Pakistan captain to receive the civilian honour. 

He also holds the distinction of being the only Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman to score an ODI century at Lord’s, accomplishing the feat against England in 2016.

Sarfaraz’s final international appearance came in a Test match against Australia in Perth in 2023, marking the end of an illustrious chapter in Pakistan cricket.