KARACHI: Sarfraz Ahmed’s arms were outstretched as he completed that second run. Once he went past the wicket, he leapt and punched the air with his bat. Then, he punched the ground — throwing six in all; perhaps at all those who said he was finished. A prostration followed. The elaborate celebration said it all. Four years after being frozen out of the playing XI, eight years after he’d last reached this mark, he’d finally hit a Test century for Pakistan.

There was a roar by his hometown fans, few in number, who were here to witness it at the National Stadium. In the hospitality box, to the right of the end he was batting on, his family and friends cheered. The timing of this innings, as much as it meant to him, meant a lot for Pakistan too. His hundred meant the hosts had a genuine chance of winning this second Test and the series against New Zealand.

Pakistan had lost both their home series preceding this one — against Australia and then England — but with Sarfraz at the crease, having been recalled for this one, they had hope that at the very least, they could draw this one. Sarfraz had hit fifties in both innings of the drawn first Test and followed it with another half-century in the first innings of this one.

Sarfraz knew that the job now was to finish off this one. Pakistan had failed to notch a single victory in the seven Tests before this one across the three series. Sarfraz and Agha Salman, who’d joined the 35-year-old when he was nearing his century, were attempting to knock off the remaining runs as dusk approached.

But after Salman departed, the ploy changed. The aim was to survive and save the Test. Sarfraz, whose 118 featured nine fours and a six, would eventually become the ninth Pakistan batter dismissed. He didn’t finish the job but he’d set the stage. It was ultimately tailenders Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed who braved the intense New Zealand pressure amid fading light as Pakistan finished with 304-9 in their fourth innings after having been set a target of 319.

“I’ve played crucial innings in the past but the pressure here was different,” Sarfraz, who was named man-of-the-match and the series, told reporters. “It’s not easy to bat in the fourth innings so I’d rate it as my best century.” Even more so, because it was his first in his hometown. “I’d missed out on a century in the first innings [when Sarfraz was dismissed for 78],” he would add. “This was very special. It was a dream come true.”

It’s been a story of perseverance for Sarfraz. Removed as captain of all three formats in October 2019 and pushed out of the reckoning by the previous Pakistan Cricket Board setup, things changed for him once the interim management committee came in ahead of the New Zealand series. “When Shahid Afridi became the interim chief selector, he immediately rang me up and told me I’d be coming back,” said Sarfraz, the smile on his face back. “I was ready to take the chance with both hands.”

Had Sarfraz not turned up, it would’ve been curtains for Pakistan. A smattering of fans who’d turned up had kept pinning their hopes on one Pakistan batter after the other. Each of those had failed them. But when two men, born and bred in Karachi — Sarfraz and Saud Shakeel, came together at the crease the flame of hope had been re-lit.

Sarfraz and Saud took up the game in localities within four kilometres of each other in the heart of the city. On Friday, 22 yards of the pitch separated them on each delivery as they launched a rescue mission. Pakistan were stuttering at 80-5 after they had resumed their fourth innings on 0-2. Captain Babar Azam, Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq had all departed having got off to starts.

But it was Sarfraz and Saud, who’s made a scintillating start to his Test career, who really stuck in. For nearly three hours, they defied New Zealand, keeping at bay everything that was thrown at them. Saud didn’t last long enough but Sarfraz did and turned the tide in Pakistan’s favour.

“Sarfraz took the game away from us,” New Zealand skipper Tim Southee reflected afterwards. “He’s a busy cricketer and gets his runs at a nice rate. For someone who hadn’t been in the side for four years, he’s been great throughout the series.”

Pakistan captain Babar Azam hailed Sarfraz’s work ethic, saying “he did not let the fire die within him for four years”. For Sarfraz, though, the mantra was simple. “There were people who guided me, who backed me throughout during my tough time,” he said. “I just kept my head down and continued to do my thing … I just kept playing.”

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2023