LAHORE: Veteran Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez has announced his retirement from international cricket. He is set to make an official announcement shortly.
Hafeez has represented Pakistan in 392 international games, scoring 12,780 runs and picking 253 international wickets across all formats. Arguably, his finest hour in Tests came against England in Sharjah in 2015 when he scored 151 in difficult conditions ensuring that Pakistan bowlers had enough runs on the board to run over England batters.
His quick-fire half century against India in Champions Trophy 2017 Final also paved the way for Pakistan bowlers to steamroll the Indian batting line-up. Tributes started pouring in as soon as Hafeez announced the decision. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also thanked Hafeez for his services in a tweet.
Hafeez announces retirement from international cricket
More details: https://t.co/RYLJ7gp5Ro pic.twitter.com/8PYAfaJlPW— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) January 3, 2022
Hafeez said: “Today I say good-bye to international cricket with pride and satisfaction. In fact, I have earned and accomplished more than I had initially envisaged and for that, I am thankful to all my fellow cricketers, captains, support staff and the Pakistan Cricket Board who helped me out during my career.
The PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja also thanked him for his services. “Hafeez has been a wholehearted cricketer who worked tirelessly at his game to have a long and fruitful career.
“His game evolved with time, adjusting to different formats quite intelligently. Later in his career, he became a T20 specialist, where he was never out of touch with modern demands of this testing format. His batsmanship took a sprightly turn, nailing sixes almost at will.
“He has worn the green blazer with pride for which we at the PCB are thankful. I wish him best of luck for his future life and thank him again for his magnificent contribution to Pakistan cricket.”
