Maturity beyond years is apparent from Sarfraz Ahmed’s confident body language, his constant chatting on the field, and from how he talks -- as if he’s destined to represent the Pakistan national cricket team.Born in Karachi, the word “street-cricket” did not come as a surprise when Sarfaraz shared with this scribe his early years in the sport that have already made him a World Cup winner. From the days of (taped) tennis ball cricket involving local area teams, through various age-group clubs, academies, district teams… to his international debut against India last year, Sarfraz knew no better pastime than wicket-keeping.
Perhaps too young to witness Moin Khan’s heroics in Pakistan’s World Cup 1992 winning campaign, Sarfraz worships him nevertheless. Like a majority of young, aspiring wicket-keepers in the country, “Moin bhai” is the instant reply when asked to name their idol. Although Rashid Latif comes a close second, it was Moin’s unorthodox yet effective tactics with the bat that helped Sarfraz assign his players positions.
Following a successful start to his domestic career in the Inter District U-19 tournament, Sarfraz made his international debut in the 2005 Afro-Asia Under-19 Cup where he captained Pakistan. An attacking 52 in only his second innings, a 53-ball 54 against Bangladesh, and a series-win against the West Indies at home followed as Pakistan became a strong contender for the U-19 World Cup. Fate duly rewarded the hard-working youngster as a spectacular comeback sealed Pakistan’s second successive sweep of the tournament. Perhaps the manner of victory or maybe the gravity of the triumph, lifting the U-19 World Cup with the captain’s arm-band remains an unforgettable memory for Sarfraz.
“I still can’t believe it at times (the win),” he said. “Achieving so much at a young age (in cricketing world), I only had bigger things to look forward to. There have been so many great players that have come and gone without ever lifting such a coveted prize and by leading my country to such heights, I’ve only developed greater ambitions.”
In between that and making his international mark, Sarfraz made his first-class debut when he represented Karachi and National Bank of Pakistan towards the tail end of the 2005-06 season but could only manage a single outing. Short stint at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore followed where a trip to Nepal was also undertaken and as he swapped departments, a much-improved full season with the bat and gloves beckoned.
Not only did he manage over 500 runs (at an average of over 37 and with five half-centuries) in what effectively was his maiden first-class season, Sarfraz juggled his commitments well. He represented the Pakistan International Airlines in the Patron’s Trophy, Karachi Urban in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, Karachi Dolphins in the Twenty20 Cup, and Pakistan during the Hong Kong Sixes. The reward? A ticket to India as cover for the injured Kamran Akmal (although Akmal’s indifferent form behind the stumps was a more credible reason).
“I was elated, it was a dream come true (the call for national duty),” Sarfraz said. “Even though it came as a surprise, I wasn’t shocked at all because I knew that one day I would turn up for national duty, given my commitment and success level. The hard work had finally paid off.”
However, Sarfraz was quick to add that the real job had just begun. Knowing fully well that even a star performance will not be enough to cement his place in the side ahead of the wobbly Akmal, he knew he had to make best use of the opportunity. And as the opportunity came in Kanpur, he duly obliged.
Though not required to bat, he quickly took his catches’ tally to two. An impeccable show with the gloves, it was in fact Sarfraz’s chatter that won him many admirers. With high-profile names filling the team sheets from either side, the 20-year-old showed no nerves.
“An international debut against India in India, what more could I have asked for,” he said with a smile. “There was a lot of pressure on me not only to perform as the selectors had shown faith in me, but also because of the importance of the match. I adopted a simple approach: taking it as a normal game and blocking the fact that it was an international match out of my mind.”
It wasn’t as such that Sarfraz hadn’t taken on quality opposition before. He was part of the Patron’s XI squad that took on the touring South Africans and, following the series against India, he was included in yet another Patron’s XI for the four-day match against the Zimbabweans. Useful experience against Australia A at home bloated his run tally to 475 in only seven matches in the current season and with it came the confidence boost.
Aged only 20, Sarfraz has already passed 1,000 first-class runs and has over 50 dismissals behind the stumps to go with the U-19 trophy. With age and confidence on his side and with selectors slotting him in against for the international test when possible, Akmal may well have been biting his finger nails when Sarfraz took the field for the final two ODIs against Zimbabwe.
They say first impressions last. Going by that, and if the energetic Sarfraz managed to impress the selectors during the series against Zimbabwe, a mightier test against the Australians may very well be waiting for him come March-April.
“I want to be Pakistan’s number one,” Sarfraz said with an assured look that completely wiped whatever doubts the listener had during the informal session. He may very well.
© Faras Ghani 2008
Published in Dawn Magazine Mar 09, 2008
