The Daily Notable (Web Desk) Former Pakistan Cricket Team Captain Azhar Ali, on Thursday, reported his retirement from limited overs cricket with the end goal to focus completely on Test cricket.
“I have spoken to the chief selector, captain and the chairman of PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) before announcing my decision. I took the decision after giving it a lot of thought,” Azhar, told reporters in Lahore.
A productive player in the longest arrangement, Azhar played his last ODI against New Zealand in January 2018.
Azhar’s universal batting style in ODIs at an average of 36.90 and strike-rate of 74.45 has regularly been condemned.
“It is not a decision that I have taken suddenly; I had been considering this for quite some time,” he said while addressing a presser. “I think the time is right for me to focus on Test cricket.”
“This is my own choice for the advancement of my vocation,” Azhar included.
“I simply need to give careful consideration to Test cricket now and I think the youthful players currently coming into the group are performing exceptionally well in One-Day Internationals,” he included.
Azhar, who needed to venture down as commander of the ODI group a year ago, felt that he could have accomplished more in 50-over cricket.
“I figure I could have contributed some more in one-day cricket yet with the World Cup due one year from now, I just felt the time had come to proceed onward and give others a chance.”
Making it clear he had felt no strain to resign from ODIs, Azhar said his choice will give group administration adequate time to conclude their squad next year’s World Cup.
“I just felt at that time they were some people, who didn’t support me as ODI captain, who thought I was not good for this format. It is never easy to captain the Pakistan side but they are also some good memories for me as captain.”
Azhar has been one of Pakistan’s most productive run-scorers in Test cricket as he scored a triple century and a twofold hundred in Tests in the UAE and Australia in 2016 and 2017 individually.
Since his debut in 2011, Azhar has played 53 ODIs and lead the national cricket team somewhere in the range of 2015 and 2017 when, following his abdication, officeholder captain Sarfraz Ahmed was named skipper in ODI design.
PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, among others, congratulated Azhar on a successful one-day career in which he scored 1,845 runs with the help of three centuries and 12 half-centuries.
