Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed to auction 2017 Champions Trophy bat to raise funds for COVID-19 relief

Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is reportedly set to auction the bat he used in the 2017 Champions Trophy to raise funds for his country's fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Cricketing action has come to a complete standstill post March 16, with even the 2020 Pakistan Super League knockout stages postponed owing to the coronavirus threat.

It has come to light that the funds raised by Ahmed's gesture will be used to help athletes and the groundstaff overcome their financial issues that might have propped up owing to the outbreak of the virus.

Sarfaraz Ahmed has given the bat he used during the 2017 Champions Trophy for auction. The money raised will go towards helping athletes and groundstaff who are struggling financially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic #COVID19

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) April 3, 2020

Notably, Pakistan emerged as the champions from the 2017 Champions Trophy after they beat arch-rivals India by a massive 180-run margin on the back of a fine century from Fakhar Zaman.

Sarfaraz batted in only two matches throughout the tournament and scored 76 runs, including an important 79-ball 61* in a winning cause against Sri Lanka.

The Pakistan captain was most recently in action as the skipper of the Quetta Gladiators as part of PSL 2020. However, despite starting off well with three wins from four matches, the Gladiators picked up just one win from their remaining six games and were knocked out of the tournament.

According to reports, there is a chance that the semifinals and the summit clash of PSL 2020 could be held sometime in November this year.