Sarfaraz Ahmed: “When I played my first three deliveries, my heartbeat was so fast and I felt like I was making my debut again. The boys who played with me told me to calm down”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed said he was so excited to make his Test return that the “boys who played with me told me to calm down”.
Prior to the two-Test series against New Zealand, which Sarfaraz described as “making my debut again”, he last represented Pakistan in a Test match back in January 2019.
Having been slotted into the playing XI ahead of first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, the former captain grabbed the opportunity with both hands and put on a show.
The 35-year-old scored 335 runs, which included a career-best knock of 118 to go with three half-centuries, at an average of 83.75.
While it remains to be seen if Sarfaraz will be retained in the Test side as a wicketkeeper or as a middle order batsman, he admitted that it felt great to be playing Test cricket for his country once again.
“When I played my first three deliveries, my heartbeat was so fast and I felt like I was making my debut again. The boys who played with me told me to calm down,” he was quoted as saying by Cricwick.
Sarfaraz’s next assignment will be the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he will captain the Quetta Gladiators.
PSL 8 will be held from February 13 to March 19 in Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi.
The Gladiators will kick off their campaign against the Multan Sultans on February 15 in Multan.
Quetta Gladiators Squad for PSL 8: Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Wanindu Hasaranga, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy, Odean Smith, Ahsan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Zahid, Naveen-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Umaid Asif, Will Smeed, Aimal Khan, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Martin Guptill, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qais Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Dwaine Pretorius, Will Jacks and Nuwan Thushara