Wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed returned to Test Cricket after a hiatus of four years. The former captain scored a brilliant 86 in the first innings of the test match against New Zealand earlier this week. Keeping up with the famous dialogue from Bollywod’s PK ‘Sarfaraz dhokha nahi dega’, Ahmed’s partnership with captain Babar Azam of 196 runs brought Pakistan into the safe zone. Pakistan has put up a total of 438 in the first inning of the Karachi test with Azam scoring a brilliant 161.
At the closure of play on Day 1 Sarfaraz’s candid conversation post the match press conference won our hearts and left many in splits. Have a look
Sarfaraz Ahmed's press conference following the close of play on Day One of the Karachi Test.#PAKvNZ | #TayyariKiwiHai https://t.co/R5XDEv7TD2
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 26, 2022
The Honest and Candid Statements
On Facing the First Three Balls
“Jo maine 3 balls kheli hain lunch se pehle, uss time meri koi heartbeat check kar leta toh shayad meter hi phat jaata (During the 3 balls that I played before lunch, if someone had checked my heartbeat, there was a high possibility that the monitor would’ve broken),”
‘Saifi Bhai, Please Get Normal’
“Because it was beating very fast. I felt like I was making my debut all over again. The situation was also quite crunch at the time. In fact, when I came back for lunch, the boys realised what I was going through so they kept on saying, ‘Saifi bhai, please get normal!’
Babar Azam Leading From The Front
“When I went again, Babar gave me a lot of confidence. He played like a senior cricketer there because I really needed some confidence at the time. When you make a comeback after such a long time, you feel like you’re playing your first match,”
1️⃣9️⃣6️⃣-run partnership 🤝
A stellar stand for the fifth wicket 🏏#PAKvNZ | #TayyariKiwiHai pic.twitter.com/npZMHRZDgt
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 26, 2022
A Brilliant Comeback
Earlier addressing the media on a question about Sarfaraz’s comeback, chief selector Shahid Afridi hinted at the inclusion of Sarfaraz in the first Test against the Kiwis. “Our aim is to try our bench strength. A lot of our senior players are out for a long time. We will try and manage workload as Babar highlighted this issue previously.”
