Sarfraz ninth keeper to score Cup century

KARACHI: Pakistan’s hero Sarfraz Ahmed joined an exalted company on Sunday when he became only the ninth wicket-keeper to score a World Cup century.

Sarfraz’s unbeaten 101 off 124 balls with six boundaries against Ireland in Adelaide is the 15th occasion where a wicket-keeper had compiled a century during the World Cup. Legendary Sri Lankan left-handed batsman-cum-keeper leads the list with five centuries with current South Africa captain A.B. de Villiers having accomplished the feat twice as did now retired Zimbabwean Brendan Taylor.

Sarfraz is the first Pakistani wicket-keeper to reach the coveted landmark and the first from his country to register a World Cup ton since Imran Nazir made 160 — the highest individual score for Pakistan — against Zimbabwe in the inconsequential league-round fixture against Zimbabwe at Kingston in 2007. Moin Khan’s 63 runs against South Africa at Trent Bridge during the Super Six-round match of the 1999 World Cup in England were the highest by a wicket-keeper/batsman for Pakistan.

Remarkably, apart from Sarfraz and Moin only three others have scored a World Cup half century while acting as the wicket-keeper — Umar Akmal’s 59 against West Indies at Christchurch during the current tournament; Saleem Yousuf’s 56 versus West Indies at Lahore in 1987 and Kamran Akmal’s 55 against Kenya at Hambantota in 2011.

Had Sarfraz not run out himself for 49 against South Africa on his World Cup debut at Auckland last Saturday (March 7), he would have been the only Pakistani to cross 50 twice in the mega event!

The highest — and the most famous — among the 15 hundreds by a wicket-keeper is Australian Adam Gilchrist’s man-of-the-match 129-ball effort of 149 during the 2007 World Cup final against Sri Lanka at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.

Centuries by wicket-keepers in World Cups (in chronological order):

Batsman Score Opponents Venue Year

D.L. Houghton (Zimbabwe) 142 New Zealand Hyderabad (India) 1987

A. Flower (Zimbabwe) 115* Sri Lanka New Plymouth 1992

R. Dravid (India) 145 Sri Lanka Taunton 1999

A.C. Gilchrist (Australia) 149 Sri Lanka Bridgetown 2007

A.B. de Villiers (South Africa) 107* West Indies Delhi 2011

A.B. de Villiers (South Africa) 134 Netherlands Mohali 2011

B.B. McCullum (New Zealand) 101 Canada Mumbai 2011

K.C. Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) 111 New Zealand Mumbai 2011

K.C. Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) 105 Bangladesh Melbourne 2015

K.C. Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) 117* England Wellington 2015 B.R.M. Taylor (Zimbabwe) 121 Ireland Hobart 2015