Sarfaraz Ahmed: “I was so excited when I got to know about my comeback. Shahid Afridi texted me to let me know and I called him back. He gave me so much confidence”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed said he owes a lot to former captain Shahid Afridi as he was responsible for giving him the opportunity to play Test cricket again.
Afridi was the interim chief selector when it was announced that Sarfaraz would be picked ahead of Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan’s go-to wicketkeeper-batsman for the two-Test series against New Zealand.
The 35-year-old made the most of his opportunity as he scored 335 runs, which included a century and three fifties, at an average of 83.75.
“I was so excited when I got to know about my comeback. Shahid Afridi texted me to let me know and I called him back. He gave me so much confidence. To be honest, I wasn’t sure whether I would ever play my 50th Test match or not,” Sarfaraz was quoted as saying by respected journalist Saj Sadiq on Twitter.
Pakistan recently played three T20Is against Afghanistan in Sharjah, but the veteran cricketer was not selected for the series.
He was also not picked for the team’s ongoing limited overs series against New Zealand.
Pakistan currently hold a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series heading into the fourth game on Thursday in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan squad for T20I series against New Zealand: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Zaman Khan
Pakistan squad for ODI series against New Zealand: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir
Umar Akmal