Pakistan Cricketer Mohammad Hafeez Retires from International Cricket

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• Jan 3, 2022 | Deleted

Lahore: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez retired from International Cricket on Monday, ending his 18-year old career.

However, the Pakistan all-rounder will continue to play franchise cricket. Hafeez will play for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, which begins on January 27.

Hafeez last represented Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, losing to Australia in the semi-finals in the United Arab Emirates last year.

The 41-year-old, in a statement released by Pakistan Cricket Board, said, “Today I say good-bye to international cricket with pride and satisfaction. 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.”

“And of course, my family who made big sacrifices to ensure I achieved my aspirations of representing Pakistan on a global stage. I am extremely fortunate and proud to have been considered worthy of donning the national kit with the Pakistan emblem for 18 years. My country and my team have always been at my forefront and therefore, every time I stepped onto the field, I tried their profile and image by playing hard but within the rich tradition of cricket.” he added.

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Speaking about his successful career, Hafeez debuted for Pakistan in 2003. He played in 218 One-Day Internationals and scored 6614 runs, including 11 hundred and 38 fifties. In 50-over cricket, he took 139 wickets. In 119 T20 matches, he scored 2514 runs and took 61 wickets.

Moreover, he won 32 player-of-the-match trophies in International cricket during his career span. In addition, Hafeez won nine Player-of-the-Series accolades, tying him for joint-second in the all-time list with Imran Khan, Inzamam, and Waqar Younis.

Hafeez was ranked 22nd in batting, 29th in bowling, and fifth in all-rounders by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Hafeez’s best ODI ranking was 13th in March 2014, and he topped the bowling and all-rounder rankings in August 2012 and January 2013, respectively.

Hafeez’s T20I rankings were also outstanding; he ranked ninth in batting in February 2007, third in bowling in August 2013, and first among all-rounders in March 2014.

In 2018, he retired from tests matches. He played 55 tests matches, scored 3652 runs with 10 hundred.