Sarfaraz Ahmed was arguably the finest Pakistan captain in the last decade, not just in terms of success but also tactically. His personal form faded away and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) treated him unfairly, as is mostly the case with most senior cricketers in their country. Regardless, the 2017 Champions Trophy win and no.1 ranking in T20Is were two priceless highs that Sarfaraz led Pakistan to.
It took Pakistan close to eight-and-a-half years since their 2017 Champions Trophy title to beat India in a tournament final and when they finally did it, Sarfaraz was in it again. This time as the head coach of Pakistan's U19 side who beat their Indian counterparts in the 2025 Asia Cup by a whopping 191-run margin.
Sarfaraz's presence was a booster, given that he knew how to beat India, even at U19 level. He was at the helm when Pakistan won the 2006 U19 World Cup in a low-scoring game against India. Remember, it was an Indian side that had the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and Piyush Chawla.
Apart from the Sarfaraz connection, there was a clear pattern in the way the 2017 Champions Trophy final and 2025 U19 Asia Cup final played out. For starters, there was a Pakistan opener who made the most of an early reprieve to punish India's bowlers. Fakhar Zaman did it in CT 2017 and it was young Sameer Minhas who produced a fantastic 172 in the 2025 Asia Cup final.
India's top-order was arguably the best at the time of CT 2017 but they all fell cheaply against Mohammad Amir's fiery new-ball burst. Here, it was young Ali Raza who is touted to be the next big thing as far as Pakistan's fast bowling department is concerned. If Amir took out Virat Kohli and Rohit, Raza took out Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi to rattle India.
It must also be remembered that India opted to bowl in both finals on flat batting surfaces, only to see Pakistan post totals in the high 300s. Sarfaraz knew the template as soon as India's U19 captain Mhatre had chosen to bowl. Led by Minhas' outstanding innings, Pakistan registered a big win over their arch-rivals to ensure that they had at least one Asia Cup to show in 2025, even if at U19 level.
All this begs the question - is it time for Pakistan to consider Sarfaraz for their senior men's team? It could be too early perhaps, given that he only took the U19 and Pakistan A role in November. However, if PCB ever need an immediate replacement for their head coach, Sarfaraz could well be the man, given the respect he has across all age-groups in Pakistan cricket.
