Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed made a solid comeback in Test cricket as he smashed a remarkable century and stopped New Zealand’s bid for victory on the fifth and final day of the second Test match on Friday. Sarfaraz Ahmed scored his century off 135 balls with a crisp off drive against Matt Henry as the crowd present at the National Stadium Karachi cheered their hometown batter with loud chants of ‘Saifee, Saifee’ from the stands.
A few months ago, the prospects of Sarfaraz even playing for the Pakistan cricket team again were deemed done and dusted, however, a change in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), with the arrival of Shahid Afridi as the chief selector and Najam Sethi as chairman, Sarfaraz made his return to the Test set-up.
With Pakistan going 5 down for 80 runs, responsibility came on Sarfaraz’s shoulders to hold one end together and take the team to safety. The veteran keeper-batter not just prevented wickets from falling but also scored runs at a pace that kept the hopes of the hosts of winning the game alive. As soon as Sarfaraz reached the milestone, he produced an ecstatic celebration, punching the air as well as the ground, while the crowd celebrated with him.
Meanwhile, social media was also flooded with amazing reactions from fans, cricketers, and experts. Among many, veteran cricketer Ravi Ashwin also took to his social media and posted a special tweet for the Pakistan batter. In his Tweet, Ashwin hailed Sarfaraz’s performance. He wrote:
“Just saw the closing moments of the #PakvsNZ test. Truly remarkable 💯💯💯 Well batted @SarfarazA_54👏👏”
Check out the Tweet:
Just saw the closing moments of the #PakvsNZ test. Truly remarkable 💯💯💯 Well batted @SarfarazA_54👏👏
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) January 6, 2023
Earlier in the game, Sarfaraz became only the second Pakistani wicketkeeper to score 6000 runs in international cricket. He made his return to the team’s Test side after a gap of 4 years. In fact, this was the first time that Sarfaraz was playing a Test series in Pakistan.
