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Pakistan's star batter Azhar Ali has announced his retirement from the longest format of the game on Friday (December 16) as the third Test against England will be his last dance.
In a span of 96 Test matches, former Pakistan skipper Azhar amassed 7,097 at an average of 42.49, which is decorated with 19 hundreds and 35 half-centuries. Azhar is the fifth highest run-getter for Pakistan in Tests and is only behind Younis Khan (10,099), Javed Miandad (8,832), Inzamam-ul-Haq (8,829) and Mohammad Yousuf (7,530). He made his debut in Tests back in 2010 against Australia at Lord's.
During the press meet ahead of the third Test between Pakistan and England on Saturday, Azhar said, “It has been a great honour and privilege for me to represent my country at the highest level. Deciding on when to call it a day is always tough, but after contemplating deeply, I realised that this is the right time for me to retire from Test cricket. There are many people who I am grateful to in this strenuous, yet beautiful journey. I want to make a special mention of my family without whose sacrifices; I would not have been where I am today. My parents, wife, siblings, and children have been my strength throughout.”
“I have been blessed to share dressing room with some of the most outstanding cricketers with whom I share a strong bond. I feel much richer by calling these people my friends. I am also blessed to have played under some wonderful coaches to whom I will always remain grateful. I retire from international cricket as a fulfilled cricketer who ticked most of the goals he had set for himself. Not many cricketers go on to lead their countries, and that I was able to captain Pakistan is a matter of great pride for me. From being a kid who started as a leg-spinner to becoming a mainstay in the Test batting line-up, I had the loveliest moments of my life that I will cherish forever,” Azhar further added.
The major highlight of his career, which spanned for 12 long years, Azhar is the only Pakistani batter who has struck a triple century in a pin-ball Test which he scored against West Indies back in 2016 in Dubai. He clobbered a cracking 302, his highest individual score in Tests. Beside Tests, he has played 53 ODIs and 49 T20Is, amassing 1895 and 985 runs respectively.
