Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez calls time on Test career

Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez on Tuesday said that he would retire from Test cricket after the completion of the ongoing third and final Test against New Zealand, which is being played in Abu Dhabi.

The right-handed batsman scored just 66 runs in the last seven innings since his hundred against Australia when he came back to the Test team after a period of two years.

Hafeez is thus playing his 55th Test match. He made his Test debut against Bangladesh way back in 2003. He has scored 3,644 runs with 10 hundreds and 2 fifties.
He would have an opportunity to add to that tally when he comes out to bat in the second innings of the third Test.

“I feel time is up. I am announcing my retirement and feel happy that I worked hard in my career,” Hafeez said, quoted by AFP. Hafeez has also represented Pakistan 203 ODIs and 89 T20Is.

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“I had been thinking of retiring from Tests for the last two weeks and thought that now is the time to leave the five-day format but I will continue to play limited-over matches,” he added.

His top score of 224 in Tests came against Bangladesh came in 2015 in Khulna. Hafeez nonetheless said that he wasn’t forced into making this decision.

“This is my own decision,” he said after he bagged a duck in the ongoing Test.
The 33-year old said that he was satisfied with his Test career.

“I am satisfied with what I have achieved..As an opener, I worked hard and maintained a standard, so I am proud to have served my country,” he said.

He returned to the team this October after a two-year hiatus and scored 126 on his return against the Aussies in Dubai.

But the veteran has so far struggled to make a mark with the bat. He was also successful with his off-spin with 53 Test wickets. He was however reported for suspect action on three separate occasions with the last one coming last year in October. He was however banned from bowling
international cricket for one year.

Image credit- Sky Sports