Sarfaraz Ahmed Biography , Age, Family, Career and Net Worth

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Introduction

Sarfaraz Ahmed is a cricket player from Pakistan who used to be the captain of the Pakistan cricket team. He was born on May 22, 1987, in Karachi, Pakistan. He is now 36 years old. Sarfaraz is known for being very good at both catching the ball as a wicketkeeper and hitting the ball as a batsman. He has played a lot of games for Pakistan and has helped them win many times. People remember him for leading his team to win big tournaments. Now, he also plays in the Pakistan Super League for a team called Quetta Gladiators.

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Family

Sarfaraz Ahmed comes from a family with a background in the printing press business, originally hailing from Uttar Pradesh, India, before migrating to Pakistan.. Sarfaraz’s father passed away in 2006, leaving behind a legacy that Sarfaraz has continued in the field of cricket. 

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Marriage, Wife and Kids

Sarfaraz Ahmed, a well-known Pakistani cricketer, married Syeda Khusbaht in 2015. They have since been blessed with two children, a son named Abdullah and a daughter named Ayesha. Sarfaraz and Khusbaht have showcased a strong partnership, with Khusbaht providing considerable support to Sarfaraz throughout his cricketing career and beyond. Their relationship faced a humorous yet relatable moment when Sarfaraz, feeling stressed about his cricket performance, gently reminded Khusbaht to steer clear of coaching him on cricket matters. This incident underscores the couple’s dynamic, highlighting how they navigate the intersection of professional pressures and personal support. Together, they present a united front, celebrating successes and navigating challenges, all while raising their family​​​​​​​​​​.

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Domestic and Franchise Career

Sarfaraz Ahmed was chosen by the Quetta Gladiators team for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on December 21, 2015. He became the team’s captain for the 2016 season. Under his leadership, the team did really well and reached the final, but they lost just two games before that and didn’t win the final against Islamabad United. In 2017, Sarfaraz led his team to the final again, but they lost to Peshawar by 58 runs, making it the second time they couldn’t win the PSL final. The next year, in 2018, the Quetta Gladiators didn’t get to the final because they lost to Peshawar Zalmi by just one run in an early knockout game. However, in the fourth season, Sarfaraz led his team to victory in the PSL for the first time by winning against Peshawar Zalmi in the final match.

In September 2019, Sarfaraz was chosen as the captain for the Sindh team in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament. In October 2020, he joined the Galle Gladiators for the first Lanka Premier League. He was picked again to play for the Galle Gladiators in the Lanka Premier League in November 2021 and July 2022 for the third season of the league.

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s International Career

One day International

Early in his cricket career, Sarfaraz Ahmed led Pakistan’s under-19 cricket team to a big win. In 2006, his team won the Under-19 World Cup by beating India in the final match, which had very few runs.

Sarfaraz got a chance to join the Pakistan team in November 2007 because Kamran Akmal, another player, hurt his finger. Sarfaraz played his first one-day international (ODI) cricket game on November 18, 2007. In that game, he didn’t need to bat because Pakistan won early.

In 2008, Sarfaraz was chosen over Kamran Akmal to play in the Asia Cup. Later, in the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Sarfaraz didn’t play in the first four games. But because the team was losing, he got to play in the fifth game against South Africa. In that game, he scored 49 runs and caught six times as a wicket-keeper, tying the record for the most catches in a World Cup game. He was named the best player of that match. Afterward, he scored 101 not out against Ireland and was named the best player again. His performances helped Pakistan move to the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

Test

Sarfaraz Ahmed played his first Test cricket game in Hobart on January 14, 2010. This was the third game of the series against Australia. He played instead of Kamran Akmal, who did not perform well in the second game. However, after playing just one game, Sarfaraz was not chosen to play in the next match.

Return to International Cricket (2011)

Sarfaraz came back to play for Pakistan in one-day international (ODI) games against Sri Lanka in November 2011. After that, he played in more games against Bangladesh and in the Asia Cup. In the final game of the Asia Cup, he scored 46 runs and did not get out, which was the highest score in his team. Because of his good play, Pakistan won the game by just 2 runs. After this, he got a special contract (Category C) from the cricket board and was chosen to play in the next series of shorter games (T20Is) against Sri Lanka.

Vice-captaincy

After Misbah stopped playing one-day international (ODI) cricket following the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Sarfaraz was seen as a possible new leader for the team. But, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chose Azhar Ali as the new captain. Still, because Sarfaraz had shown good leadership with the Pakistan under-19 team, they made him the deputy captain of the ODI team.

Sri Lanka Test series (2015)

In a cricket match against Sri Lanka in Galle, Sarfaraz Ahmed scored 96 runs from 85 balls, which was very close to 100 runs but he got out before he could reach it. This performance made him one of the fastest Pakistani wicket keepers to score 1000 runs in Test cricket, tying with Imtiaz Ahmed. For this great play, he was named the best player of the match.

After this Test series, Sarfaraz was not chosen to play in the T20 series against Sri Lanka, which surprised many fans. The coach of the Pakistani team, Waqar Younis, mentioned on August 6 that Sarfaraz is very important to the team and suggested he should be the captain for Pakistan’s T20 team in the future.

Zimbabwe ODI Series (2015)

Because the regular captain, Azhar Ali, hurt his foot, Sarfaraz Ahmed got to be the captain for the one-day international (ODI) cricket game against Zimbabwe on October 5, 2015. In his first game as captain, he led his team to a victory.

T20I Captaincy

After the 2016 T20 World Cup didn’t go well, the captain at that time, Shahid Afridi, decided to step down. So, on April 5, 2016, the Pakistan Cricket Board chose Sarfaraz Ahmed to lead the national T20 cricket team. In his very first game as captain, his team beat England by a big margin of nine wickets. Then, his team played really well against the West Indies, who had won the T20 World Cup in 2016, and won all the games in a three-match series. By the end of 2018, Pakistan was ranked as the top team in the world for T20 cricket. Sarfaraz led his team to win 11 series in a row. They played and won against teams like the West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, England, and Zimbabwe. Under his leadership, Pakistan managed to win every game in five different series against other teams.

ODI Captaincy

After Azhar Ali left his role as the captain of the one-day international (ODI) cricket team on February 9, 2017, Sarfaraz Ahmed was picked to take his place. This made Sarfaraz the main captain for the shorter formats of cricket games for Pakistan. He also got the role of deputy captain for the Test cricket team. In Sarfaraz’s first time leading the team in an ODI series, Pakistan won against the West Indies with a score of 2-1.

The first big competition Sarfaraz led as captain was the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017. During the group stage, Pakistan lost to India but won against South Africa and Sri Lanka, which helped them move to the semi-finals. There, they won against England, making it to their first Champions Trophy final. In the final game, Pakistan played against India again. This time, Pakistan scored a big total of 338 runs and won the match, which made them the champions of the tournament. For his leadership and performance, Sarfaraz was named the captain and wicket-keeper of the ‘Team of the Tournament’ by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and by Cricinfo.

Test Captaincy

On September 28, 2017, during a match against Sri Lanka, Sarfaraz Ahmed became the 32nd person to captain Pakistan’s Test cricket team. Unfortunately, Pakistan lost the series to Sri Lanka 2-0. This was the first time Pakistan was completely defeated in a series in the United Arab Emirates. It was also only the second time Pakistan had lost all the matches in a series at home since they were defeated by Australia back in October 2002.

Suspension, Dropped as Captain

In January 2019, during a cricket game against South Africa, Sarfaraz Ahmed said something inappropriate to Andile Phehlukwayo, which was heard on the microphones. Because of this, the International Cricket Council (ICC) did not allow him to play in the next four games, which included the last two one-day international (ODI) games and the first two T20 games of the series. Shoaib Malik took over as captain while Sarfaraz was out. The next month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that Sarfaraz would still be the captain for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

In April 2019, Sarfaraz was chosen as the captain for the World Cup team. During the World Cup, Pakistan won 5 of their 9 games, lost 3, and 1 game had no result. They did not make it to the semi-finals because their net run rate was lower than New Zealand’s.

In October 2019, before Pakistan’s cricket tour to Australia, Sarfaraz was removed as captain because the team had not been doing well. Azhar Ali and Babar Azam were chosen as new captains for the Test and T20I teams. Under Sarfaraz’s leadership, Pakistan had won 29 of 37 T20I games and was ranked number 1. In ODIs, they played 50 games, won 28, lost 20, and had a win rate of 58.33%.

In June 2020, Sarfaraz was included in a large squad for Pakistan’s tour to England during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, he was picked for the 20-man squad for the Test matches against England, but he didn’t get to play in any of the Test matches.

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Controversies

Sarfaraz Ahmed faced a significant controversy in January 2019 during a cricket match against South Africa. He made a racist comment towards the South African player Andile Phehlukwayo, which was caught by the microphones. Sarfaraz later apologised on social media, stating that he had no intention of upsetting anyone and did not mean for his words to be heard or communicated to the opposing team or fans. Despite his apology, the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended him for four matches. This suspension meant he missed the remaining matches of the ODI series and the first two matches of the T20I series against South Africa.

Following Pakistan’s defeat against India in the World Cup, Sarfaraz urged fans to stop the abuse directed at the team. The loss led to a harsh reaction from supporters, with incidents of verbal abuse reported. Sarfaraz highlighted the impact of such behaviour on the player’s psychological well-being and their families, emphasising that criticism should be focused on the game rather than personal attacks. He acknowledged that fans have the right to express their feelings but requested respectful behaviour.

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Awards

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Net Worth

Sarfaraz Ahmed, the renowned Pakistani cricketer, has an estimated net worth of approximately $7 million. This impressive figure is a testament to his successful career in cricket, where he has not only captained the Pakistan national team but also led them to numerous victories. Sarfaraz’s wealth comes from his earnings as a professional cricketer, including match fees, contracts, and endorsements. His financial success reflects his contribution to the sport and his popularity among cricket fans around the world.

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Social Links

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