Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former captain of Pakistan cricket team, has reportedly departed from the country with his wife and children to relocate to the United Kingdom. Various local media reports in Pakistan suggest that the 36-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman was uncertain about his future in the national team, prompting his decision to leave the country.
The reports further suggest that despite relocating to the United Kingdom, Sarfaraz wishes to continue representing the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Sarfaraz Ahmed's most recent appearance for Pakistan cricket team was against Australia in the recently concluded AUS vs PAK five-match Test Series, Down Under. The 36-year-old featured in Pak's playing 11 in the first Test held in Perth. Unfortunately, Sarfaraz had a forgettable outing with the bat, managing just seven runs in the game.
A look at Sarfarz Ahmed's career highlights as Pakistan captain
Under Sarfaraz Ahmed's captaincy, Pakistan cricket team secured victory in two ICC tournaments.
Sarfaraz Ahmed-led Pakistan defeated India in a low-scoring encounter to lift the Champions Trophy in 2017. In the early stages of his career, Sarfaraz led the Pakistan Under-19 team to a memorable win in the ICC U-19 World Cup Final vs India in 2006.
Under Sarfaraz Ahmed's captaincy, Gladiators clinched the PSL title in 2019 by defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the final, but a decline in his form resulted in his removal as Pakistan's captain across formats within a year. Subsequently, PCB started ignoring him from the national setup.
Sarfaraz Ahmed's overall cricketing record with Pakistan
In his overall cricket career, Sarfaraz Ahmed has so far featured in 54 Tests for his national team, amassing 3031 runs in the format. Across 117 ODIs, the wicket-keeper batter has scored 2315. In T20Is, Sarfaraz has contributed 818 runs to his name.
Sarfaraz is now expected to join UK's County Championship. His prior experience includes representing Yorkshire in county cricket.