Azhar Ali, Pakistan’s former cricket captain, and top-order batsman have declared his retirement from Test cricket.
A tearful Azhar Ali told a news conference in Karachi on Friday that the third Test match against England, which begins on Saturday, will be his last.
With 7,097 runs in 96 matches at an average of 42.49, Azhar Ali is Pakistan’s fifth leading Test run-getter behind Younis Khan (10,099), Javed Miandad (8,832), Inzamam ul Haq (8,829) and Mohammad Yousuf (7,530).
In 2010, Azhar Ali, a 25-year-old, made his Test debut in England against Australia at Lord’s and scored his maiden Test half-century in only his second match. He scored 34 more half-centuries and went past the 100-run mark on 19 instances.
“It has been a great honor and privilege for me to represent my country at the highest level,” Azhar said in a statement on Friday.
