Mohammad Hafeez announces retirement from Test cricket
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|| Desk Report ||
Former Pakistan T20I skipper Mohammad Hafeez has decided to restrict his international appearance to white-ball cricket, as he will retire from Test cricket after the ongoing third Test against New Zealand.
“I am announcing my retirement from Test cricket. I am really happy and proud to do that because I think I’ve worked really hard over the last fifteen years of my career. I would like to thank Pakistan Cricket Board; they helped me in each and every step of my career,” Hafeez said at a press-conference.
Hafeez, 38, made his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2003. He made a fifty in the second innings of the match, before hitting his maiden Test hundred in the very next game against the same opponents.
The all-rounder has played 54 Test matches for Pakistan, scoring 3644 runs besides taking 53 wickets. He has struck a total of 10 centuries in the format. He has also opened the batting and bowling for Pakistan on seven occasions in Tests.
Hafeez’s performance has not been very impressive in Tests lately. After belting a century against Australia in October, he has amassed 66 runs in seven innings, including a duck in the first innings of the ongoing Test in Abu Dhabi.
Hafeez is the seventh-highest run-scorer in T20Is with 1908 runs to his name, standing 263 runs behind top-scorer Martin Guptill.
The right-hander is also among the top 10 ODI batsmen for Pakistan in terms of runs scored. He has made 6153 runs in 203 ODIs, including 11 tons and 34 half-centuries.
