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.”
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
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)
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Demonstrators amassed Monday outside Iran’s first World Cup match, waving the pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flags banned inside the stadium and calling for change in Tehran.
Iran's participation in the World Cup, beset by challenges since the war's outbreak, has divided the U.S. diaspora, as the scene near Los Angeles showed. The national squad has become a Rorschach test of sorts, with rallygoers contending the team was synonymous with Iran's government, while the fans who filed past said they were separating soccer from politics.
Southern California is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran, many of whom arrived after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Just hours before kickoff against New Zealand, a Los Angeles judge upheld FIFA's ban on the pre-revolutionary flag at matches, The Athletic reported.
Ella Bah, 42, nevertheless was wearing the flag tied around her like a dress. She and other protesters had brought extra clothing to cover up before entering the stadium, and planned to reveal themselves after entering, she said.
“We’re not here to cheer them on,” she told The Associated Press. “We’re here to be the voice for the people inside Iran.”
Like Bah, some protesters said they had tickets to watch the game. Rameileh Jaffrey, 46, said she wants a change in Tehran’s government to bring freedom to the country she left a dozen years ago.
“They are not my team. They are a government team,” she said. Even so, she said she hopes Iran will win, and has plans to see the team play later in the tournament.
A woman protesting jeered Kia Keanh and his family as they walked by wearing T-shirts supporting the team.
“I’m just here to watch the sport, it’s not about the regime,” he said. “I’m just here for a World Cup game, to enjoy it with my family.”
Iran's participation in the tournament has been fraught with conflict because of the country's war with U.S. and Israeli forces. Late Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had reached a deal with Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has rattled the region and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf.
After the war's outbreak, the team moved its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona, and some of the country's soccer officials were not granted visas to enter the United States. Many in the diaspora have mixed feelings over how to show their support of the Iranian people, but not the government.
“We play for every Iranian, be it in the diaspora or in Iran. People have different opinions, but we are here to unite people and we will try to bring joy to all Iranians wherever they live,” team captain Mehdi Taremi said at a press conference Sunday. “We are here to bring joy to Iranian people. We do not get involved in politics. We are here to play football.”
Kourosh Safavi, 42, traveled to see Iran play from Dallas, Texas, with his 11-year-old son Jibreel. While he was born in the U.S, Safavi said he wanted to cheer on the country of his ancestors, where soccer means so much.
“They’re playing for the people, and I just hope and pray that they have success, that they can bring the people in Iran happiness,” he said.
Put off by sky-high prices, Reza Garajedaghi, 57, said he would watch the game with his 96-year-old father in San Diego.
“I’m a football die-hard, and the boys, they’re representing all Persians, Iranians around the world,” said Garajedaghi, who left Iran when he was 10. “To me, it has nothing to do with whatever government they have in Iran.”
Some Iranian American soccer fans have said the team is tied up in politics, dissuading them from supporting the squad. But Safavi noted players are often put “between a rock and a hard place.” In the past, Iranian athletes have faced serious consequences for speaking out. In 2022, a prominent former member of the national team was arrested for allegedly protesting against the country’s leadership, and star striker Sardar Azmoun wasn’t selected for the World Cup squad this year, reportedly because of a social media post that angered authorities.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei called Azmoun an “excellent player” and said he wished he were with the team.
“I am just happy that they are coming to watch us and I hope that they will pray for us and I hope that they will encourage us,” Ghalenoei said Sunday when asked about the sizable diaspora. He added that he hoped the team would pay back that loyalty by playing a good game.
Still in their street clothes, many of the Iranian players walked onto the field nearly two hours before kickoff. Thousands of fans already in the building greeted them with loud cheers and whistles while the team examined the grass.
Some Iranian Americans are also upset about FIFA's rule barring political flags from being flown. The Iranian American Institute for Voices for Liberty filed a lawsuit last week to circumvent the ban on the pre-revolutionary flag, but a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Monday the ban could stand.
“There may be harm to some 2,500 staff members who have to deal with safety protocols,” Judge Curtis Kin said, according to The Athletic. “It is a tremendous burden to change a long-standing stadium protocol for a massive event in a period of hours. It is hard to see how FIFA could make a change at one stadium and not the rest.”
Parsa Ezati, 21, and his mother brought the official Iranian flag of the current government to the protest so that people could stomp on it. Many passersby took the opportunity to walk over it, some giving it an extra scuff or taking a minute to spit on it.
“It represents the ayatollahs that killed so many Iranians and have massacred people in my generation,” Ezati said. “FIFA only accepts this flag on the floor.”
AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham contributed to this report.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
People protest outside Los Angeles Stadium before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Pre-revolutionary Iranian flags stand during a protest outside Los Angeles Stadium before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
People protest outside Los Angeles Stadium before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A woman has her face painted during a protest in reaction to FIFA's ban of Iran's pre-revolutionary flag inside World Cup stadiums Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Benjamin Hanson)
Iran head coach Amir Ghalehnoy, right, and player Mehdi Taremi listens to a question during a press conference ahead of their FIFA World Cup match against New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
People carry a giant Iranian flag during a protest in reaction to FIFA's ban of Iran's pre-revolutionary flag inside World Cup stadiums Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Benjamin Hanson)
Iran's Mehdi Ghayedi, center, and teammates walk onto the pitch at the stadium one day before their FIFA World Cup match against New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Iran players walk onto the pitch at the stadium one day before their FIFA World Cup match against New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
