KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who made his return to Test cricket after a gap of more than three years, made headlines after his brilliant knock of 86 in the first Test against New Zealand. 

The wicketkeeper batter made his Test return in style; scoring his first-ever half-century on home soil which was his 19th overall in the longest format.

His crucial knock of 86 turned out to be a game-changer for Pakistan as they defied top-order collapse and recovered to finish the first day on a high.

Pakistan were 110/4 when Sarfaraz joined his captain Babar Azam in the middle and stitched a match-saving 194-run partnership for the fifth wicket before falling to Ajaz Patel in the closing overs of the first day’s play.

The right-handed batter scored 86 off 153 balls, laced with eight boundaries.

Sarfaraz’s brilliance inspired his former teammate Wahab Riaz, who termed Sarfaraz’s knock a special one and extended his best wishes to the latter.

“What a comeback innings for [Sarfaraz Ahmed]. [You have] always been a special player,” wrote Riaz on his Twitter.

“Never easy to b on the bench for so long & on the return [you] express yourself. Lots of prayers,” he added.

 

Besides Wahab, Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan also wished Sarfaraz for scoring a brilliant half-century in his 50th Test match.

“50 in 50th Test for kaptaan. Well played saifi bhai,” wrote Shadab.

Meanwhile, Sarfaraz also became a top trend on Twitter following his remarkable comeback knock and received immense appreciation from cricket fans.

Here’s how they reacted:

It is pertinent to mention that Sarfaraz last played a Test match back in 2019 against South Africa when he bagged a golden duck in the second innings of the match.

READ: Babar, Sarfaraz defy early collapse to take Pakistan on top in Karachi Test