Afghanistan's veteran batter Noor Ali Zadran announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday, March 7. Zadran concludes his international journey, which began in 2009, after participating in two Tests, 51 ODIs, and 23 T20Is. His last outing for Afghanistan was in the singular Test match against Ireland earlier this month, where Afghanistan faced a loss.
Noor Ali Zadran bids farewell to international cricket
Throughout his ODI career, Noor Ali amassed 1216 runs with an average of 24.81, and in T20Is, he scored 597 runs at an average of 27.13. His Test career was brief, featuring two matches played within a month against Sri Lanka in Colombo and against Ireland in Abu Dhabi, scoring a total of 117 runs in four innings. After a hiatus, Noor Ali was brought back into the national team for the T20Is during the Asian Games in October 2023. His contributions included scores of 51 and 39 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, respectively, leading Afghanistan to the final against India, which concluded without a result due to rain, with India being declared winners based on their higher ranking.
Noor Ali played a crucial role in Afghanistan's cricketing history, participating in the country's first official ODI in April 2009 against Scotland in Benoni, where he opened the batting with a quick 45 off 28 balls, contributing to an 89-run victory. His T20I debut came in February 2010, marking Afghanistan's second match in the format.
Highlights of Noor Ali Zadran's career
Among his career highlights was scoring a memorable half-century against India at the T20 World Cup in 2010, marking Afghanistan's debut in the World Cup, and being part of the victorious team against Zimbabwe in the first round of the T20 World Cup in 2016.
The decision was made just before the start of the first ODI against Ireland, which is being held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
In his final appearance for Afghanistan, Noor Ali Zadran participated in the one-off Test against Ireland. Although he had a modest performance, scoring just 7 runs from 27 balls in the first innings, he managed to contribute a more respectable 32 runs from 72 balls in the second innings, including three boundaries. Despite his efforts, Afghanistan was defeated by a margin of six wickets. While the conclusion of his top-order career might not have been as he envisioned, Zadran's contributions to his team over the years are noteworthy.
Noor Ali Zadran's journey in Test cricket began with his debut in the one-off Test match against Sri Lanka.
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