Pakistan star batter Azhar Ali announces retirement from Test cricket

Azhar Ali, one of Pakistan's most productive hitters, will retire after the third Test against England, which starts on Saturday. Azhar is Pakistan's fifth-leading Test run-getter with 7,097 runs in 96 games at an average of 42.49, after only Younis Khan (10,099), Javed Miandad (8,832), Inzamam-ul-Haq (8,829), and Mohammad Yousuf (7,530).

At the age of 25, Azhar played in his first Test match at Lord's against Australia in 2010. He quickly reached his first Test half-century. He would go on to record 34 additional half-centuries and surpass the 100-run threshold 19 times.

Azhar, 37, is the only Pakistani batsman to record a triple century in a pink-ball Test match. He accomplished this accomplishment in 2016 in Dubai against the West Indies. His greatest Test cricket score is an unbeaten 302, which is still standing.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, 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."

“I have been blessed to share the 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.

Azhar Ali addresses press conference at National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi.#PAKvENG https://t.co/D0uUC3qOFI

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 16, 2022

“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,” he concluded.

In the course of his 12-year career, Azhar also scored two double hundreds: 226 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in May 2015 and 205 not out against Australia in Melbourne in December 2016. He has also scored at least one hundred in Australia, Bangladesh, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe. 

Azhar helped Pakistan win the second Test by 356 runs and the two-Test series against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014 by scoring a century in each of his two innings (109 and 100 not out).

In two distinct stints between 2016 and 2020, Azhar led Pakistan in nine Test matches. After helping Pakistan win the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, Azhar retired from One-Day Internationals in 2018. 

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