Sarfaraz Ali

For other people with similar names, see Sarfraz Ali.

Sarfaraz Ali (born 20 October 1981) is a Pakistani-born cricketer who plays for the Bahrain national cricket team and currently captains the national team in Twenty20 Internationals.^[1][2][3]

Sarfaraz Ali

Personal information
Full name	Sarfaraz Ali
Born	(1981-10-21) 21 October 1981 (age 42) Karachi, Pakistan
Batting	Right-handed
Role	Top-order batsman
International information
National side	Bahrain
T20I debut (cap 9)	19 January 2019 v Saudi Arabia
Last T20I	3 November 2023 v Oman
Career statistics
Competition T20I T20 Matches 17 17 Runs scored 569 569 Batting average 35.56 35.56 100s/50s 0/4 0/4 Top score 69* 69* Balls bowled 267 267 Wickets 8 8 Bowling average 38.62 38.62 5 wickets in innings – – 10 wickets in match – – Best bowling 2/20 2/20 Catches/stumpings 4/– 4/–
Source: ESPNCricinfo, 31 October 2023

Career

Ali debuted internationally for the Bahraini cricket team on 20 January 2019, against Saudi Arabia in the opening game of the 2019 ACC Western Region T20, in which he was awarded man-of-the-match for his performance.^[4] He went on to score 141 runs at an average of 35.25 throughout the tournament and took no additional wickets.^[5]

He was then selected to play in the 2020 ACC Western Region T20,^[6] in which Ali scored 112 runs and took 2 wickets throughout the tournament.^[7] He led the team to the semi-finals of the tournament,^[8] but lost to Kuwait in a crushing 87-run loss.^[9]

Ali didn't play for the rest of 2020 and the majority of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ali returned to cricket by playing in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier. His team came out as the champions,^[10] with Ali scoring 159 runs and taking a wicket during the tournament.^[11] He then went on to captain the team^[12] in the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier A, in which Bahrain placed 6th in, after being beaten by the Canadians in the 5th place play-offs.^[13][14] Bahrain played valiantly, eventually just nearly missing the semi-finals on net run rate to the United Arab Emirates.^[15] Ali scored 157 runs and took 3 wickets during the qualifier.^[16]

References

1. "Sarfaraz Ali profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
2. "Sarfaraz Ali - Cricket Player, Bahrain - NDTV Sports". NDTV Sports. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
3. "Sarfaraz Ali - Wisden". Wisden. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
4. "Bahrain beat Saudi Arabia - Bahrain won by 41 runs - Bahrain vs Saudi Arabia, ACC Western Region T20, 1st Match Match Summary, Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
5. "ACC Western Region T20, 2018/19 - Bahrain Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
6. "Bahrain Squad for Asian Cricket Council T20 Western Region to be held in Oman from 21st to 28th Feb 2020". Bahrain Cricket Association (via Facebook). Retrieved 23 February 2022.
7. "ACC Western Region T20, 2019/20 - Bahrain Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
8. "Day 3: Bahrain face Kuwait in semis after incredible win, UAE take on Qatar in second semifinal". Asian Cricket Council. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
9. "Kuwait beat Bahrain - Kuwait won by 87 runs - Kuwait vs Bahrain, ACC Western Region T20, 1st Semi-Final Match Summary, Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
10. "Title race hots up as Bahrain bat out Saudi Arabia". International Cricket Council. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
11. "ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia A Qualifier, 2021/22 - Bahrain Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
12. "Cricket: Bahrain aim to beat the best". Gulf Daily News. 2 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
13. "Canada beat Bahrain Canada won by 7 wickets (with 33 balls remaining) - Bahrain vs Canada, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier A, 5th Place Play-Off Match Summary, Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
14. Penna, Peter Della (17 February 2022). "Associate brigade look to deny Ireland at T20 World Cup Qualifier". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
15. Penna, Peter Della (21 February 2022). "UAE, Ireland seal semi-final spots from Group A; Nepal, Oman progress from Group B". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
16. "ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier A, 2021/22 - Bahrain Cricket Team Records & Stats". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2022.