By Zainab Shafiq 
Former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed officially announced his departure from Quetta Gladiators, which marked the end of a tremendous nine-year stint with the franchise. The message came through on Sarfaraz’s Instagram page, where he posted a moving message with an image of himself with Gladiators’ owner Nadeem Omar.
In his emotional post, Sarfaraz expressed his pride and thanks for his time with the Gladiators, saying: “Today I want to share that my journey with Quetta Gladiators has come to an end. I am proud of the wonderful memories I have had with this incredible team over the last nine years.“
Finally, his thanks were conveyed to Nadeem Omar in appreciation for such outstanding, never-ending support throughout his life, first, as a cricketer, and then as captaincy. This appreciation also has some words for franchise management, the chief being given by Azam Khan, who offered him guidance throughout.
A major component of the Quetta Gladiators since the introduction of the PSL in 2016, the wicketkeeper-batter played an important role by participating in 86 matches. He scored a total of 1,525 runs at an average of 29.32 with seven half-centuries. He also led Quetta Gladiators to their maiden PSL title in 2019, a historic moment for the franchise.
Earlier this month, the Quetta Gladiators decided not to retain Sarfaraz for the PSL 10 Players Draft; hence, the player is in the draft pool for the very first time after the Pakistan Super League’s maiden edition.
Sarfaraz captained the Gladiators for eight consecutive seasons before being replaced by South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw as captain during the last edition. With his departure, the former champion now looks forward to a new chapter in his cricketing career, while the Gladiators will look to rebuild for the new season.
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