The 37-year-old allowed his oft-injured body to have the final say, promising however to bid goodbye to his fans in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League next summer.
Mother's always right. And Zaheer Khan will vouch for that. Soon after he told her of his decision to hang up his boots after 14-plus years of top-flight cricket, Zakia Khan replied, "Theek hain, bahut accha safar tha hamara (it's okay, it was a wonderful journey for us)."
And so, the 37-year-old allowed his oft-injured body to have the final say, promising however to bid goodbye to his fans in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League next summer.
Sporting blue denims, a white round neck tee overwhelmed by a stunning blue Paul Smith jacket, black smart casual shoes and a shining piece of Breitling, Khan looked every bit the dapper sportsman who wowed the cricketing world and wooed women alike.
Perhaps, his 610 international wickets (311 in 92 Tests, 282 in 200 ODIs and 17 in as many T20 Internationals) don't do justice to the mastery of his craft and contribution to Indian cricket. He was to the 2000s generation what Kapil Dev was to those who grew up in the 1980s.
Born in Shrirampur in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, Khan perfected the art of swinging the cricket ball to inject pace into a spin-heavy set-up. The icing on the cake was the series-defining performance at Trent Bridge in 2007, one that helped India win a Test series in England after 21 years.
"'Zak is Back' is perhaps a headline that may come my way again, as I have every intention of giving back to this game and our wonderful country which gave this kid from Shrirampur the opportunity to chase and live his dream!," he said. There's talk that he could soon become India's bowling coach. Now, who would mind that!
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