Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has decided to retire from international cricket, ESPNcricinfo reported on Monday. In his 18-year career, the all-rounder represented Pakistan in 392 international matches in which he scored 12,789 runs and took 253 wickets. Hafeez represented Pakistan in six T20 WorldCups and three ICC 50 overs WorldCup.
Hafeez had announced retirement from Test cricket in 2018. The right-handed batter played his final ODI match last year in July at Lords against Bangladesh. Hafeez had earlier announced that the 2020 T20 World Cup would be his final assignment for Pakistan, while the tournament was pushed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hafeez ended up extending his time with the Pakistan team as a result. The T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final game against Australia proved his last 20-over match.
‘I played for Pakistan for the sake of pride & dignity and never for the sake of money’
Hafeez retires as the most prolific Pakistan all-rounder across formats. Having made his international debut back in 2003 against Zimbabwe, he will bid adieu to the game amassing 12,780 runs across formats. He has scored 3652 Test runs with 10 centuries at an impressive average of 37.64. Hafeez represented Pakistan in 218 ODIs, having amassed 6614 runs at an average of 32.90 including 11 centuries. He has also played 115 Twenty20 internationals, scoring 2440 runs including 61 wickets. Mohammad Hafeez was also a member of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 winning team.
“The journey which I started eighteen years ago comes to an end. I officially announce retirement from international cricket. I will play international leagues until I find myself completely fit to play. My fans always supported me in tough times hence I’ll try to play leagues for the sake of my fans. I played for Pakistan for the sake of pride and dignity and never for the sake of money. It’s not that I cant play T20 WorldCup 2022 but I decided to retire because I’m satisfied with my cricket and looking forward to youngsters who’ll serve Pakistan Cricket,” said Mohammad Hafeez
One of the finest all-rounders in the modern era of Pakistani cricket, Mohammad Hafeez played a vital role in Pakistan’s successful T20I World Cup campaign last year. The 41-year-old holds the record for most T20 World Cup appearances for Pakistan. He also led Pakistan in two T20 World Cup editions – 2012 and 2014. As a T20I captain, Hafeez has 18 wins, 11 losses from 29 matches by his name. During his 18 year career, Hafeez won 32 Player-of-the-Match awards, the fourth-highest among Pakistan players in international cricket, with only Shahid Afridi (43), Wasim Akram (39), and Inzamam-ul-Haq (33) placed ahead of him.