Sarfraz Per Stripes

Sarfraz earns his stripes

Sarfraz Ahmed was long seen as a lightweight in international cricket, but he is changing that perception with sheer weight of runs

	Sarfraz Ahmed has crossed 50 in his last five Test innings but says his 'best is yet to come' © Getty Images  Enlarge
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Gareeb ka bachcha (son of a poor man) was a line used for Sarfraz Ahmed in the Dubai press box as he scored his second Test hundred. It's not that he belongs to a poor family but it's a common phrase referring to someone who is never taken seriously.

But now he has earned respect after scoring more runs than any of his team-mates in his last five Test matches, averaging 63.50, and scoring hundreds in successive Tests. Today's century, off 80 deliveries, was the fourth fastest in Pakistan's history, and the second quickest by any wicketkeeper.

Sarfraz hails from a religious family and became aHafiz, someone who has memorised the entire Qur'an. His father, who set up a stationery shop in Karachi, always wanted Sarfraz to focus on his studies rather than waste his time playing cricket. Sarfraz always wanted to make a name in cricket but his father didn't live long enough to see Sarfraz reach the top.

Sarfraz captained the Pakistan Under-19 team that won the Word Cup in 2006 and though he broke through to the senior team in the next year, he wasn't seen as an integral part of the team until his 48 against Sri Lanka in the Sharjah Test earlier this year.

He didn't get long enough spells to settle down in the Pakistan set-up, and wasn't regarded as international material in those years. "Earlier in my career I was more concerned about whether I will get another opportunity or not and that was the thing that kept me occupied," he explained.

"But now I am given all the support even though still I have a lot in mind but the focus is to perform. I am playing with more freedom and support back in the [dressing room] and [that has] helped me a lot in giving my performance. Players might have been performing individually but our efforts unfortunately are not able to win but I am hopeful soon we will be winning track again."

Since his comeback in January, his Test-match scores - 7, 74, 5, 48, 55, 52*, 103, 55, 109 - are weighty enough to make him the long-term option for the wicketkeeper-batsman slot, especially given Pakistan's troubles with the bat in recent years.

Early in his career, Sarfraz carried the reputation of being a fine wicketkeeper but a mediocre batsman. Over the past year, the questions about his batting have started to disappear. Although he is happy with his recent form, he suggests that his "best is yet to come". His exuberant celebrations after scoring a fifty or a hundred show how desperate he is for runs, and he acknowledges the support he has received by bowing to the dressing room.

Though he bats at No. 7, he has set his sights on big hundreds. He averages 41.36 in first-class cricket and has a highest score of 213*. "It's just a start," he said, when asked if this was the best innings he has played. "My number is low in the order and I mostly have had to play with the tail so it's not like I can't score big but it's a matter of chance. Sometime if I get a lengthy partnership with someone in the top order I can do it."