ISLAMABAD (AP) — Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed retired from international cricket on Sunday after leading the country in 100 international matches across multiple formats.
“I would like to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board for the trust they placed in me over the years,” Sarfaraz said in a statement. “Pakistan cricket has always been very close to my heart and I will continue to support the game in every possible way.”
The PCB has already included Sarfaraz in the revamped four-member men’s selection committee after the disappointing T20 World Cup in which the team failed to make it to the semifinals.
Sarfaraz made his one-day international debut against archrival India in 2007, but had to wait for three years before playing his first test match against Australia at Hobart in 2010, which was followed by his first Twenty20 appearance against England at Dubai.
Sarfaraz scored 6,164 runs across multiple formats including six centuries and 35 half-centuries. He represented Pakistan in 54 test matches, 117 ODIs and 61 T20s. As a wicketkeeper, he held 315 catches and had 56 stumpings.
During his almost two-decade long international career, Sarfaraz led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy title in 2017 after beating India in the final. He also captained Pakistan to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2006.
Sarfaraz captained Pakistan to 11 consecutive series victories in T20s that included clean sweeps against the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and Scotland.
“Captaining Pakistan across all formats was a dream come true,” Sarfaraz said. “I always tried to play fearless cricket and build a united team. Seeing players like Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman … and others grow into match-winners during my captaincy is one of my proudest achievements.”
Sarfaraz also holds the Pakistan record of 10 catches in a test matches, which he took against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2019. He is also the only Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter to score an ODI century at Lord’s against England in 2016. His last international appearance came against Australia in a test match at Perth in 2023.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to represent Pakistan,” he said. “From leading the U-19 team to a world title in 2006 to lifting the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, every moment in Pakistan colors has been special. I am grateful to my teammates, coaches, family and the fans for their unwavering support throughout my career.”
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FILE - Pakistan's Sarfaraz Ahmed plays a shot during the first day of first test cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand, in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, Dec. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan, File)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s national rial currency dropped to a record low Wednesday while a U.S. naval blockade has increased pressure on its already battered economy amid a fragile ceasefire.
Experts warn that the rial’s slide is likely to further fuel inflation in a country where many imported goods, from food and medicine to electronics and raw materials, are affected by the dollar rate.
The blockade has cut into a key source of government revenue and hard currency by stopping or intercepting oil shipments. Iran’s leaders are betting that an economy built to be self-reliant under decades of international sanctions can endure the pain.
Four weeks into the ceasefire that has largely halted fighting in Iran, the U.S. and Iran remain locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passes in peacetime.
The strait’s closure is putting pressure on both sides and impacting the world economy, pushing up prices for food, fuel and other products made from petroleum. Frustration is mounting, as dozens of nations this week repeated calls to open the critical waterway for both humanitarian and economic relief.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifting the blockade, he told Axios on Wednesday.
Iran’s proposal, shared with U.S. leaders this week, sought to postpone discussions around Iran’s nuclear program, leaving unresolved the disagreements that led the U.S. and Israel to go to war on Feb. 28.
“The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing,” Trump told Axios. “And it is going to be worse for them. They can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
The Iranian proposal would have pushed negotiations on the country’s nuclear program to a later date, two regional officials said earlier this week. The officials with knowledge of the proposal spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations between Iranian and Pakistani officials.
One of the major reasons Trump has said he went to war was to deny Iran the ability to develop nuclear weapons.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Wednesday his government was continuing efforts to help ease tensions between the U.S and Iran following an initial round of direct talks on April 11.
The U.S. has spent an estimated $25 billion so far on the Iran war, a top defense official said during a Congressional hearing Wednesday.
Much of that has gone toward munitions, but the expenses also include running the operations and replacing equipment, Jules Hurst III, the acting undersecretary of war for finances, told the House Armed Services Committee.
Iran's rial had remained stable in the early weeks of the war, in part because there was little trading or imports. Its slide began this week, hitting a record low Wednesday of 1.8 million to the dollar.
The hit comes months after a currency shock helped fuel nationwide protests in January, deepening public anger over rising prices and fears about the country’s economic future.
Iran’s economy has faced decades of sanctions, chronic inflation and a widening gap between official and open-market exchange rates.
Prices of basic household goods had already been rising before the rial’s latest fall, adding to pressure on families. Over the past two weeks, people buying daily essentials have faced higher prices for milk, yogurt, cooking oil, bread, rice, cheese and detergents.
The increases point to broader inflationary pressure in the economy driven by uncertainty, supply disruptions, higher transport and production costs and the continuing impact of the U.S. blockade. The rial’s latest slide is likely to add further pressure particularly on goods tied to imports, packaging and raw materials.
Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Collin Binkley and Stephen Groves in Washington contributed to this report.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appears before a House Committee on Armed Services business meeting on the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2027, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appears before a House Committee on Armed Services business meeting on the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2027, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
A man waves a representation of the Iranian flag during a state-organised rally in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, celebrating the birthday of Imam Reza, the 8th Shiite Muslims' Imam, and showing their support to the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A man holds an Iranian flag in a state-organised rally in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, celebrating the birthday of Imam Reza, the 8th Shiite Muslims' Imam, and supporting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
FILE - A thick plume of smoke rises from an oil storage facility hit by a U.S.-Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
