Continuing the golden run since his return, Sarfraz Ahmed on Friday hit a brilliant hundred to help Pakistan secure a draw against New Zealand in the thrilling second and final Test and described his fourth innings century as ‘the best’.
Away from Test cricket for three years, the 35-year-old Sarfaraz made a successful comeback in the Test series against New Zealand, scoring four consecutive half-centuries including his first Test century in nine years on the final day of the series.
Sarfaraz described the century as special, calling it his ‘best’ innings.
The ICC quoted Sarfraz as saying, “It was a century in the fourth innings and batting in the fourth innings is not easy anywhere in the world. So I think this is my best century.”
The former Pakistan captain had scored three Test hundreds in 2014, but hasn’t scored a single century in nine years. He returned to the Test XI three years earlier in the series and walked away with the Player of the Series award.
His most compelling knock came on the fifth day of the second Test, where Pakistan initially had their backs against the wall and New Zealand reduced them to 80/5.
“When I first came out to bat, my state of mind was not very good. I was very tense, a lot of nerves. But captain Babar Azam gave me a lot of confidence and the boys in the team gave me a lot of confidence,” he said.
“I backed my form with domestic cricket and did well,” he said.
With Mohammad Rizwan in good form, Sarfaraz missed Test cricket from 2019 before making a stunning comeback in this series. While he was mostly with the team as a backup wicketkeeper, he never found a place in the starting XI.
He said, ‘I have been with the team for four years and unfortunately I did not get the opportunity but whatever cricket came my way, I tried to continue my game.’
Karachi witnessed dramatic scenes on Friday as the game ended in a thrilling draw. Michael Bracewell sent back Sarfaraz at the end of the day as the visitors were on the verge of a famous victory with the ninth wicket. Pakistan were also in the game till the end, ending 15 runs away when bad light stopped play.