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[PICTURES] Azhar Ali retires from Test cricket - How do you rate his career?

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MenInG

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Azhar Ali announces retirement from Test cricket


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Karachi, 16 December 2022:

Azhar Ali, Pakistan’s one of the most successful batters, will hang his boots following the third Test against England, which begins on Saturday. With 7,097 runs in 96 matches at an average of 42.49, Azhar is Pakistan’s fifth leading Test run-getter behind Younis Khan (10,099), Javed Miandad (8,832), Inzamam-ul-Haq (8,829) and Mohammad Yousuf (7,530).

In 2010, Azhar, as a 25-year-old, made his Test debut in England against Australia at Lord’s and scored his maiden Test half-century in only his second match. He would score 34 more half-centuries and went past the 100-run mark on 19 instances.

Azhar, 37, is the only Pakistan batter to score a triple-century in a pink-ball Test - a feat that he achieved against the West Indies at Dubai in 2016. That unbeaten 302 remains his highest score in Test cricket.

Over the course of his 12-year career, Azhar also made two double-centuries – 226 against Bangladesh in Dhaka (May 2015) and 205 not out against Australia in Melbourne (December 2016) - and has, at least, one century in Australia, Bangladesh, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, the West Indies and Zimbabwe. Against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014, Azhar scored a century in each innings (109 and 100 not out) to help Pakistan win the second Test by 356 runs and two-Test series 2-0.

Azhar captained Pakistan in nine Tests in two separate tenures from 2016 till 2020.

Azhar retired from One-Day Internationals in 2018 – a year after helping Pakistan win the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. In that tournament, Azhar had scores of 50 (v India), 9 (v South Africa), 34 (v Sri Lanka), 76 (v England in semi-final) and 59 (v India in final).

Azhar Ali: “It has been a great honour and privilege for me to represent my country at the highest level. Deciding on when to call it a day is always tough, but, after contemplating deeply, I realised that this is the right time for me to retire from Test cricket.

“There are many people who I am grateful to in this strenuous, yet beautiful journey. I want to make a special mention of my family without whose sacrifices; I would not have been where I am today. My parents, wife, siblings, and children have been my strength throughout.

“I have been blessed to share dressing room with some of the most outstanding cricketers with whom I share a strong bond. I feel much richer by calling these people my friends. I am also blessed to have played under some wonderful coaches to whom I will always remain grateful.

“I retire from international cricket as a fulfilled cricketer who ticked most of the goals he had set for himself. Not many cricketers go on to lead their countries, and that I was able to captain Pakistan is a matter of great pride for me. From being a kid who started as a leg-spinner to becoming a mainstay in the Test batting line-up, I had the loveliest moments of my life that I will cherish forever.”

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “Azhar Ali has been one of the most committed and loyal servants of Pakistan cricket. His grit and determination have been an inspiration for many young cricketers and he is a role model for up and coming cricketers.

“While it is sad that Pakistan will not have a player of his experience in the dressing room to draw upon, it only reflects the circle of life. I hope to see Azhar continuing to play a role in the development of Pakistan cricket and sharing his vast knowledge and experience with budding cricketers.”
 
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He made the most out of his very limited abilities. Babar definitely made it clear he didn't want him in the team anymore hence no surprise here.
 
So retirement from International Cricket that is then. Maybe it has to do with emergence of Shakeel now. Azhar wouldn't find a place in the team anymore.

Will be get a place in the team in the final test ? Maybe a farewell gift considering the series is done .
 
Good decision and must be respected. It's never easy.
 
Really good servant and ambassador of Pakistan cricket and the game as a whole. A pretty good test career which he can be proud of. If he could have continued like he did when he was playing alongside Misbah and Younus he could have very well ended his career with an average in mid/high 40s despite his limitations. 7000+ test runs at an avg of 42 is no mean feat.

Wish him all the best for his future endeavors. Have heard him in the post match shows when he was doing that and gave good perspectives on the game, so that is definitely something he can pursue or maybe commentary as well starting from domestic cricket with his decent ability to put forward his thoughts.
 
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A man of dignity and honour who along with Misbah and YK helped rebuild a shattered team. Salute sir.
 
Good career, for a player who started as a legspinner and transformed into a batter.

Why following third test, why not now? Will we be giving useless "farewell" to him?
 
Mashallah very good new for pakistan cricket
Wish you the best.. should have played his 100th
 
Good on him to call time and be honest with himself. A very important part of our test side for about 10 years since his debut. Punched above his weight in ODIs when it mattered aka the champions trophy final as well. Wishing you the best from here on out as well.
 
4 years to late, should have been booted out 4 years ago, instead PCB decide to make him test captain at that time.

we've wasted the last 3 series in particular carrying this passenger. Good riddance, finally took the hint and retired.
 
An year too late, should've retired long time ago when he started to deteriorate. He has been a great asset to Team Pakistan, hiss 300+ was a great innings but the one I loved the most was his inning during the highest run by chase by Pakistan, he was phenomenal in that innings.
 
He had his moments but he shouldn't have played this many tests.

One of the worst player ever to play this many test matches just like his buddy Asad Shafiq.

He has failed more often than not and used to score many useless runs which had no impact on the result of the match.
 
Now is not the time to criticize. At one point in time in 2017 his test average was 48. He now ends with an average of 42. However people must realize that he had a career threatening knee injury which badly hampered his running between the wickets, running in the outfield and his footwork in general and its no surprise his batting declined badly in the end.
 
I hope he plays county cricket and provides for his family but he is lucky to have played more than a handful of tests for PK.
 
Feel sad for him.

Alot of posters wanted this, hope they are happy and thrilled.

This guy lead us well and batted well for this team. Out of all the youngsters we tried, he was the only one who stood up.

Credit to him for not going for 100 test and retiring unselfishly. I feel for him and hope he plays domestic and county
 
Respectful decision. Could have dragged his career further & played for another year or so but he saw the writing on the wall.

The double-century at the MCG against a bowling attack comprising of Starc, Hazlewood & Lyon will remain the highlight of his career - not many players can claim to have achieve such a feat.
 
Despite his limited ability, he punched always above his weight and finished with a career to proud of. Most Pakistani fans have amnesia and can only remember things till a week ago. But I do remember all the knocks he played between 2013 and 2016 during Pakistan's dominance in UAE and our ascent to the zenith of test cricket. Misbah may have masterminded that run of success but it was players like Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Yasir Shah and even Asad Shafiq that delivered consistently and made that possible. I also remember the monster run he was on in 2016. The double hundred he belted at the MCG...first Pakistani batter to ever do so, and the monumental triple hundred that sadly came infront of an empty Dubai crowd.

There's no denying that he had many failures in his career. The most disappointing aspect about his career was that he was never truly able to take over from Misbah and Younis and went through some wretched runs of form after they retired.

But he was a through gentleman through and through. A man who put value into what it meant to play for Pakistan. He wasn't crooked and he wasn't a cheat. And perhaps two things he does not get enough credit for; are the innings he played in the CT Final and the stand he took when that crooked snake Amir was being reintroduced into the team. Both him and Hafeez were right and we all should have known better.

Anyway, my hats off to him to a great career, and having the self-respect and dignity to walk away when it was time to walk away. Any toxic posters thinking about @ing this post and saying something negative about him can just buzz off. I simply don't care what you think and you are not going to change my mind about anything I just said. So don't bother trying.
 
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Average player and shows how Pak has declined in TEST cricket when a player of his quality plays so many tests.

Also his average of 42 shows that.
 
Good decision. Will be remembered as a solid batsman down the lane. It's a shame he doesn't have a big legacy after playing so many tests.
 
Bewal Express said:
I hope he plays county cricket and provides for his family but he is lucky to have played more than a handful of tests for PK.
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He was never really suppose to play for Pakistan in the first place.

It was back in 2010, PCB needed to name a squad for the test series to England, and they needed to add a young player as everyone was either ban or went koko(Younis). Naveed Yasin was the guy who was about to get the call up. What PCB did was they scheduled a practice game at NCA which some sites covered and provided score cards. I think Naveed Yasin failed to perform in that match while Azhar Ali came out as the top scorer in that practice match.

After that match, Azhar Ali was called up and Naveed Yasin was forgotten forever. He would come to England and score that infamous 92 with Mohammad Yousuf.

Luck does play a big factor, or maybe its how Allah plans for us.. Naveed Yasin was soo close to getting a debut because he was topping charts and he was about to be given the cap. The day that really mattered for him, that day he didnt perform and look how his career turned out to be. One practice match at the small NCA ground changed Azhar Ali's career forever. He was never really in contention as in the pecking order Naveed Yasin was on top, than Umar Amin, than Asad Shafiq and somewhere below was Azhar Ali.

Alot of posters bash him, but to be very honest, out of all the young players, including ahmad shezad, umar akmal, umar amin, asad shafiq, sohaib maqsood and many others, Azhar was the only one who stood up. Not the best, but Azhar Ali represented the limited talent Pakistan was producing from 2008-2016. From that lot, he was the best batter Pakistan had produced. You can bash Azhar all you want, but it was the Pakistani domestic system, whose best product at the time was Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

Even till this day I still believe that during the 2008-2016 period, there was no other better young batsman than Azhar Ali. We tried all the other batsman and they failed miserably. He stood up some what, and yes he had his limitations.

This retirement is not something that posters and fans should celebrate, Azhar has served us with dignity and in time of need. He is someone who we can reflect back and now we are entering into a new phase of cricket where new representatives of our domestic system will come and lets see whether they can out perform Azhar Ali or not. Babar has, but others haven't yet.
 
I would think that he probably got a clear message from Babar as well. Babar’s comments on Azhar’s place in the team before the Multan were not exactly a vote of confidence.

Getting dropped for good like Asad Shafiq & not getting a chance to formally retire from Test cricket is something he obviously didn’t want to happen, so it was a timely call considering he was going to be dropped for the second Test in a row & probably from the squad as well after this series.
 
pakistani pride said:
Average player and shows how Pak has declined in TEST cricket when a player of his quality plays so many tests.

Also his average of 42 shows that.
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He played better when Younis was there in UAE he declined quickly once Younis retired averages mid 30s since he became a senior batsman similar to Shafiq both failed to deliver as the mainstays batting lineup.
 
His 302* will always remain part of history and his ton v Sri lanka at sharjah.
 
Major said:
He was never really suppose to play for Pakistan in the first place.

It was back in 2010, PCB needed to name a squad for the test series to England, and they needed to add a young player as everyone was either ban or went koko(Younis). Naveed Yasin was the guy who was about to get the call up. What PCB did was they scheduled a practice game at NCA which some sites covered and provided score cards. I think Naveed Yasin failed to perform in that match while Azhar Ali came out as the top scorer in that practice match.

After that match, Azhar Ali was called up and Naveed Yasin was forgotten forever. He would come to England and score that infamous 92 with Mohammad Yousuf.

Luck does play a big factor, or maybe its how Allah plans for us.. Naveed Yasin was soo close to getting a debut because he was topping charts and he was about to be given the cap. The day that really mattered for him, that day he didnt perform and look how his career turned out to be. One practice match at the small NCA ground changed Azhar Ali's career forever. He was never really in contention as in the pecking order Naveed Yasin was on top, than Umar Amin, than Asad Shafiq and somewhere below was Azhar Ali.

Alot of posters bash him, but to be very honest, out of all the young players, including ahmad shezad, umar akmal, umar amin, asad shafiq, sohaib maqsood and many others, Azhar was the only one who stood up. Not the best, but Azhar Ali represented the limited talent Pakistan was producing from 2008-2016. From that lot, he was the best batter Pakistan had produced. You can bash Azhar all you want, but it was the Pakistani domestic system, whose best product at the time was Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

Even till this day I still believe that during the 2008-2016 period, there was no other better young batsman than Azhar Ali. We tried all the other batsman and they failed miserably. He stood up some what, and yes he had his limitations.

This retirement is not something that posters and fans should celebrate, Azhar has served us with dignity and in time of need. He is someone who we can reflect back and now we are entering into a new phase of cricket where new representatives of our domestic system will come and lets see whether they can out perform Azhar Ali or not. Babar has, but others haven't yet.
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Good post. Retirement of Younis did a lot of damage to his reputation. He was never good enough to be the main batsman of the team. Younis carried him, Shafiq & also Misbah during the 2010s because he was the only batsman capable of averaging 50+ & getting those big hundreds & double-hundreds.

With Younis retiring along with Misbah, probably a year earlier because he wasn’t given the captaincy which he wanted, Azhar was suddenly thrusted into the main batsman role & that was not going to magically improve his batting skills.

The fact that Babar was still a rookie Test player back then didn’t help his cause & now he is too old to even be a good supporting batsman.

It took 12 years but it refreshing to finally see a Pakistan Test squad without Azhar & Shafiq, now if we can get rid of Masood & Sarfraz as well it will be even better.
 
Congratulations to Azhar Ali on a handy career - certainly one of Pakistan's greatest test batsmen of the 21st century.
 
Major said:
He was never really suppose to play for Pakistan in the first place.

It was back in 2010, PCB needed to name a squad for the test series to England, and they needed to add a young player as everyone was either ban or went koko(Younis). Naveed Yasin was the guy who was about to get the call up. What PCB did was they scheduled a practice game at NCA which some sites covered and provided score cards. I think Naveed Yasin failed to perform in that match while Azhar Ali came out as the top scorer in that practice match.

After that match, Azhar Ali was called up and Naveed Yasin was forgotten forever. He would come to England and score that infamous 92 with Mohammad Yousuf.

Luck does play a big factor, or maybe its how Allah plans for us.. Naveed Yasin was soo close to getting a debut because he was topping charts and he was about to be given the cap. The day that really mattered for him, that day he didnt perform and look how his career turned out to be. One practice match at the small NCA ground changed Azhar Ali's career forever. He was never really in contention as in the pecking order Naveed Yasin was on top, than Umar Amin, than Asad Shafiq and somewhere below was Azhar Ali.

Alot of posters bash him, but to be very honest, out of all the young players, including ahmad shezad, umar akmal, umar amin, asad shafiq, sohaib maqsood and many others, Azhar was the only one who stood up. Not the best, but Azhar Ali represented the limited talent Pakistan was producing from 2008-2016. From that lot, he was the best batter Pakistan had produced. You can bash Azhar all you want, but it was the Pakistani domestic system, whose best product at the time was Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

Even till this day I still believe that during the 2008-2016 period, there was no other better young batsman than Azhar Ali. We tried all the other batsman and they failed miserably. He stood up some what, and yes he had his limitations.

This retirement is not something that posters and fans should celebrate, Azhar has served us with dignity and in time of need. He is someone who we can reflect back and now we are entering into a new phase of cricket where new representatives of our domestic system will come and lets see whether they can out perform Azhar Ali or not. Babar has, but others haven't yet.
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Look at the facts before posting only Younis has a better record outside Asia than Umar Akmal check Azhar record outside Asia he only averages over 40 due to grinding runs at a low strike rate on flat wickets in UAE and Asia.

His slow batting has cost Pakistan momentum numerous times and has been part of the many losses in recent years.

One or two decent innings in a long career isn’t enough in the last 50 tests he’s played he’s mostly been failing.
 
Wise decision by Azhar and he did good with limited skills. Wishing him best of luck for the future.
 
Overall Test Record
AzharAli Span Mat Runs Ave SR 100 50
overall 2010-2022 96 7097 42.49 41.84 19 35
in Australia 2016-2019 5 468 52 45.79 1 2
in Bangladesh 2011-2021 6 531 66.37 47.96 1 3
in England 2010-2020 15 863 33.19 40.95 2 3
in Ireland 2018-2018 1 6 3 22.22 0 0
in New Zealand 2011-2021 6 379 34.45 35.72 0 3
in Pakistan 2019-2022 9 670 47.85 47.05 2 2
in South Africa 2013-2019 6 192 16 32.54 0 1
in Sri Lanka 2012-2022 9 630 39.37 42.11 3 1
in U.A.E. 2010-2018 27 2537 53.97 41.26 7 16
in West Indies 2011-2021 7 477 34.07 39.51 2 2
in Zimbabwe 2011-2021 5 344 43 44.55 1 2
home 2019-2022 9 670 47.85 47.05 2 2
away 2010-2022 58 3751 36.77 41.28 10 16
neutral 2010-2018 29 2676 52.47 41.47 7 17

Record Since Jan 2020
Span Mat Runs Ave SR 100 50
Since Jan20 2020-2022 19 1212 41.79 41.92 3 4
home 2020-2022 7 516 46.9 43.58 1 2
away 2020-2022 12 696 38.66 40.77 2 2

IN SENA Countries
Mat Runs Ave SR 100 50
32 1902 32.79 39.79 3 9
 
I like Azhar, limited talent & became a test batsman through sheer hard work, you have to respect that.

Enjoy retirement champ.
 
Mamoon said:
Good post. Retirement of Younis did a lot of damage to his reputation. He was never good enough to be the main batsman of the team. Younis carried him, Shafiq & also Misbah during the 2010s because he was the only batsman capable of averaging 50+ & getting those big hundreds & double-hundreds.

With Younis retiring along with Misbah, probably a year earlier because he wasn’t given the captaincy which he wanted, Azhar was suddenly thrusted into the main batsman role & that was not going to magically improve his batting skills.

The fact that Babar was still a rookie Test player back then didn’t help his cause & now he is too old to even be a good supporting batsman.

It took 12 years but it refreshing to finally see a Pakistan Test squad without Azhar & Shafiq, now if we can get rid of Masood & Sarfraz as well it will be even better.
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Rizwan also needs to go. He is a walking wicket against both conventional swing and reverse swing. Has one of the poorest techniques against fast bowlers ever.
 
I was at his debut Test at the oval 2010

Would have been good to see him play 100 Tests.

Just isn’t to be.

Unlucky Azhar, you did well for us.
 
Cric1234 said:
Look at the facts before posting only Younis has a better record outside Asia than Umar Akmal check Azhar record outside Asia he only averages over 40 due to grinding runs at a low strike rate on flat wickets in UAE and Asia.

His slow batting has cost Pakistan momentum numerous times and has been part of the many losses in recent years.

One or two decent innings in a long career isn’t enough in the last 50 tests he’s played he’s mostly been failing.
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Hate it when posters fail to comprehend the post and than nit pick on things which they should had themselves picked up on.

I think i mention the word young player or the players that came from 2008-2016 many times.

The fact that i did not mention misbah and younis obviously means the players that came from a generation afterwards
 
Major said:
Hate it when posters fail to comprehend the post and than nit pick on things which they should had themselves picked up on.

I think i mention the word young player or the players that came from 2008-2016 many times.

The fact that i did not mention misbah and younis obviously means the players that came from a generation afterwards
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You said the best batsmen were Azhar and Shafiq wrong they were Misbahs idea of the best batsmen not the actual best batsmen the other batsmen you listed did not fail miserably like you said.

Shehzad actually averages 40 in tests long term he won’t be a great opener but did not fail miserably Umar Akmal has a better average and much better strike rate than Azhar and Shafiq outside Asia Fawad was untested aswell during his prime.
 
Mamoon said:
Good post. Retirement of Younis did a lot of damage to his reputation. He was never good enough to be the main batsman of the team. Younis carried him, Shafiq & also Misbah during the 2010s because he was the only batsman capable of averaging 50+ & getting those big hundreds & double-hundreds.

With Younis retiring along with Misbah, probably a year earlier because he wasn’t given the captaincy which he wanted, Azhar was suddenly thrusted into the main batsman role & that was not going to magically improve his batting skills.

The fact that Babar was still a rookie Test player back then didn’t help his cause & now he is too old to even be a good supporting batsman.

It took 12 years but it refreshing to finally see a Pakistan Test squad without Azhar & Shafiq, now if we can get rid of Masood & Sarfraz as well it will be even better.
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Fans at the time wanted younia and misbah to retire. Anyways, the argument goes back to whether Azhar was the best product of our first class system at the time, and truth is he was. There was no better youngster that would had done any better than Azhar.

Right now domestic cricket has produced Iftikhar, saud shakeel, usman salahuddin and kamran ghulam. Now the question is what standard do they set. Who is the best batsman from this lot that can be the standard for everyone to emulate
 
Cric1234 said:
You said the best batsmen were Azhar and Shafiq wrong they were Misbahs idea of the best batsmen not the actual best batsmen the other batsmen you listed did not fail miserably like you said.

Shehzad actually averages 40 in tests long term he won’t be a great opener but did not fail miserably Umar Akmal has a better average and much better strike rate than Azhar and Shafiq outside Asia Fawad was untested aswell during his prime.
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Plz give it another read.
Thanks
 
Well done Azhar.

Made the most of his limited talent and had pretty decent test career, an avg of 42 is very decent after 96 games.

Credit to him for retiring and not clinging on to his place for the 100 tests milestone....good servant of Pakistan cricket.
 
Nice one Azhar.

You, along with Misbah, Younus and Asad brought us out of one of our darkest periods.

You guys were the KINGS in the desert when we reached no 1.

And, who can forget your contribution in the CT 2017 final; possibly your best Odi innings.

Always a gentleman, played the game 'like back in the day'...

...and here is a stat for those who never could give you what you were due/deserved.

Azhar
Tests 96
Runs 7097
Ave 42.49
100s/50s: 19/35

Pujara
Tests 96
Runs 6792
Ave 43.81
100s/50s: 18/33

Goodbye.
 
A very emotional Azhar Ali

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good decisions, overall a very average career with a two year purple patch when he was opening (2 years averaging 60, rest of his career is abt 38). very limited batsman, who made the most of his skills but was never right to be a number three, destroyed the momentum of the innings numerous times, and never counter attacked when pak were under pressure.

his hundred in the chase against sri lanka, and double hundred in the mcg will be the highlights of his career. but overall he will be remembered as the most prolific member of the least talented generation of Pakistani batsmen. should be a good opportunity for hurraira.
 
He had a career that was at times above average and at times frustratingly poor.

I'm glad he is going now. He did perform for us at crunch times but sadly recently he has been exceptionally poor.

I will remember his career reasonably fondly. He stood up quite a few times for us in crunch situations and overall was a loyal servant for Pakistan cricket.
 
No decision yet on whether Pakistan will give a chance for Azhar to make a final Test appearance

==

Babar Azam in his presser:

“First of all, I would like to congratulate Ajju bhai for such a decorated career. His career is quite an inspiring thing for us and for the youngsters and the performances he delivered throughout it,”

“When we came, he was a senior player and he gave us confidence and we learnt a lot from him. He has played in different situations and the way he performed helped us as a youngster. He always backed players and brought positive energy to the dressing room.

“We will decide [Playing XI] at night, so let’s see.”
 
A very good career and some good achievements. Well done!
 
Can see people comparing him to Pujara lol. Not even close to him. Pujara played innings to win his team series in Aus. Break down those stats and Azhar plundered alot of those runs on some of the flattest pitches of all time with little to no impact. Especially in these last few years. Was an ultra defensive and uninspiring batsman despite all that experience and went missing more often than not when we needed him to stand up. Can never forget his horrible effort in that test vs NZ in 2018 when we lost by a few runs. That will be his legacy. Will give him credit for his efforts in the Misbah-Younis era though. Was a key part of that side.
 
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Major said:
He was never really suppose to play for Pakistan in the first place.

It was back in 2010, PCB needed to name a squad for the test series to England, and they needed to add a young player as everyone was either ban or went koko(Younis). Naveed Yasin was the guy who was about to get the call up. What PCB did was they scheduled a practice game at NCA which some sites covered and provided score cards. I think Naveed Yasin failed to perform in that match while Azhar Ali came out as the top scorer in that practice match.

After that match, Azhar Ali was called up and Naveed Yasin was forgotten forever. He would come to England and score that infamous 92 with Mohammad Yousuf.

Luck does play a big factor, or maybe its how Allah plans for us.. Naveed Yasin was soo close to getting a debut because he was topping charts and he was about to be given the cap. The day that really mattered for him, that day he didnt perform and look how his career turned out to be. One practice match at the small NCA ground changed Azhar Ali's career forever. He was never really in contention as in the pecking order Naveed Yasin was on top, than Umar Amin, than Asad Shafiq and somewhere below was Azhar Ali.

Alot of posters bash him, but to be very honest, out of all the young players, including ahmad shezad, umar akmal, umar amin, asad shafiq, sohaib maqsood and many others, Azhar was the only one who stood up. Not the best, but Azhar Ali represented the limited talent Pakistan was producing from 2008-2016. From that lot, he was the best batter Pakistan had produced. You can bash Azhar all you want, but it was the Pakistani domestic system, whose best product at the time was Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

Even till this day I still believe that during the 2008-2016 period, there was no other better young batsman than Azhar Ali. We tried all the other batsman and they failed miserably. He stood up some what, and yes he had his limitations.

This retirement is not something that posters and fans should celebrate, Azhar has served us with dignity and in time of need. He is someone who we can reflect back and now we are entering into a new phase of cricket where new representatives of our domestic system will come and lets see whether they can out perform Azhar Ali or not. Babar has, but others haven't yet.
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POTW! I feel that being given a run in ODIs ruined his tempo and technique somewhat. He would charge down the pitch against pacers in ODIs and often look silly. Being dropped from ODIs may have also shattered his confidence as a player.
The Azhar Ali of 2014-2016 was pretty good.
 
When Azhar debuted, we badly required a solid top-order batsman. Our batting between 2009-10 was shambolic with several high-profile collapses (remember Galle and Sydney ?) So initially he was a breath of fresh air.

He had a brilliant purple patch between 2014-2017 helping us reach #1 in Test rankings and making UAE our fortress. He scored tough runs away too in Sri Lanka, England and Australia.

However Azhar failed to carry the mantle once Younis and Misbah left. His away average plummeted. The botched chase of a modest target vs NZL in 2018 was excruciating - Williamson put his fielders on the boundary and the set batsman Azhar had no confidence in clearing them. So he tried chasing the target in singles and eventually got out five runs short of victory !

Cricket has evolved rapidly since 2010 and almost beyond the dying breed of gritty batsmen who play within their limits like him, Elgar, Pujara and Cook. With T20s and Bazball, Azhar increasingly felt like a misfit.

Frankly the 2019/20 home season vs SRL and BAN should've been Azhar's swansong. He's been given a longer rope than many players who've been axed for far less, and the peaks of domestic veterans like Fawad Alam, Usman Salahuddin and Saud Shakeel were wasted. Still I thank him for serving Pakistan with dignity and wish him well.
 
Wow - thought the PCB will arrange a legendary tour with the Zimbabweans to give him 100 tests.
 
Azhar has been the best of the worst given Pakistan limited options.

Credit for retiring and not dreaming about prolonging a declining career.
 
Five years too late.

Had he retired when he lost his consistency overseas I would have respected him.

But for almost five years he has been a disaster overseas except on the flattest of tracks, like at Southampton two years ago.

Asian cricketers who obstruct the next generation should neither be celebrated nor applauded when they retire.

Thanks to Azhar, Babar’s Test career was delayed by two years and Saud Shakeel’s by an additional three years.

I think it’s a disgrace, and completely erases Azhar Ali’s earlier achievements. I condemn him unapologetically for the last five years.
 
Not a very graceful " retirement" , basically he is kicked out , should have been 4-5 years ago. If he is given Karachi test just for " one for the road" that would a ridiculous decision. He should not be in Karachi test.
 
Azhar’s Ali has been a great servant to Pakistan cricket, he isn’t everyones cup of tea these days and hung around longer then he needed to, but he had a great career. Pakistan’s batting line up is weak and you can’t blame management for wanting to utilise his experience; unfortunately, he isn’t Younis Khan and they don’t fall of trees everyday.

Azhar’s most memorable knock for me was his hundred in that record chase against Sri Lanka which not only levelled the series, it kept Pakistan’s unbeaten “home” streak alive under Misbah, it was a gutsy knock from a slow starter who put every little he had and more into that performance to win the Test. And apart from that, one of his finest moments came in the Champions Trophy final against India, never regarded as a guy who gets his runs quickly, Azhar showed immense intent and fighting spirit by taking the attack to India, if I recall, Fakhar Zaman was struggling early in his innings and Azhar took pressure off him with his attack, it’s a very under rated knock.

I will best remember him as one of the most resilient Pakistani batsman ever who was fairly strong mentally, while he didn’t age well, he had a great peak and produced the goods when it mattered most in some key games and situations.

Happy Retirement!
 
Retirement after the 2019 SA debacle would have been more apt. People would have appreciated him giving it one last go in that series and appreciate it clearly wasn’t there any more.

Instead he wanted endless last go that pathetically went on for 4 years.

No plaudits allowed for this shameless gesture. Will set a bad precedent.

And to boot he’ll get a pathetic farewell game. I mean we’re such a great side anyway wouldn’t do any harm carrying a passenger for his farewell game.
 
limited skills but worked hard yet couldn't capitalise most of the time..timid player overall, just like his buddy asad Shafiq

i
 
Happy retirement Azhar.

Tomorrow’s game is his golden handshake I guess.
 
Guy played with calmness, restraint was always under control. not fort him the wild posturing or the orgy of self worship but he always dignified. He had a good front foot defence and made the most of his abilities, much of him is like Rahul Dravid - played the way you'd want your children to emulate.
I remember a few good knocks from him.
Wishing him all the very best from an indian fan.
 
MenInG said:
No decision yet on whether Pakistan will give a chance for Azhar to make a final Test appearance

==

Babar Azam in his presser:

“First of all, I would like to congratulate Ajju bhai for such a decorated career. His career is quite an inspiring thing for us and for the youngsters and the performances he delivered throughout it,”

“When we came, he was a senior player and he gave us confidence and we learnt a lot from him. He has played in different situations and the way he performed helped us as a youngster. He always backed players and brought positive energy to the dressing room.

“We will decide [Playing XI] at night, so let’s see.”
Click to expand...

No shock if he plays, Pakistan has zero respect for the test cap, they way they have given mediocre players test caps in this series so why not give Mr mediocre Azhar one more hey.
 
No way Azhar should be playing in Karachi test , it would be an extreme disrespect to the test cricket. He was dropped from Multan test after years of failure and what exactly he has done since then to earn a call back.

There is no such thing as awarding a " farewell test" to anyone, just for the sake of it.

Karachi test will be a good opportunity to give debut to a promising youngster like Huraira or anyone else who has been piling up runs over the years like Ghulam and Usman , or even comeback kid, Shaan.
 
Surprises me how posters here can say how they are glad he is going and all.

Saw his retirement press conference. I teared up. He really served the nation with dignity
 
Respect to Azhar for calling it a day and not dragging his name through the dirt like many former cricketers have done. Best of luck to him for his future endeavors!
 
moghul said:
No way Azhar should be playing in Karachi test , it would be an extreme disrespect to the test cricket. He was dropped from Multan test after years of failure and what exactly he has done since then to earn a call back.

There is no such thing as awarding a " farewell test" to anyone, just for the sake of it.

Karachi test will be a good opportunity to give debut to a promising youngster like Huraira or anyone else who has been piling up runs over the years like Ghulam and Usman , or even comeback kid, Shaan.
Click to expand...

Imaam is Injured he will play the last test.
 
Major said:
Surprises me how posters here can say how they are glad he is going and all.

Saw his retirement press conference. I teared up. He really served the nation with dignity
Click to expand...

100% he played with dignity and even with his limitations he had a good career.Hats of to him retiring instead of getting dropped altogether.
 
A good career overall I am glad he has retired instead of getting dropped for the next test series.
 
He was superb till about 2018. After that, he became a liability.

He served Pakistan well after spot-fixing saga.
 
I will not comment on his batting because anybody who's seen my posts regarding him, would already know how I feel about his batting since 2017.

Now that he has retired, the only thing I would like to say is despite all my reservations about his batting, I will always respect him for the way he played the game with dignity and represented Pakistan in the best possible way without being embroiled into any scandals. Also massive respect to him for standing against match-fixers like Amir.
 
Very likeable chap- served his country well with his limited abilities after the match fixing saga. Enjoy retirement. Hope you do something worthwhile for Pak cricket in this next phase.
 
Great Servant for Pakistan cricket and many goid performances and dogged innings despite limited ability. He actually looked good in the second inning in last match and I would not mind seeing him in the third Test match in place of Agha, especially when Agha bowling is not required with Nawaz as the part time spinner.
 
badsha001 said:
won us the Champions trophy final against India.
Click to expand...

Agree, his opening partnership with Fakhar was crucial for Pakistan to set up platform for a mammoth target in the final.

Despite being considered a Test Specialist, he would cherish being part of the Winning CT Squad and making a meaningful contribution.
 
A man who genuinely had been a respected, well liked and admired by his fellow colleagues has (finally) retire.

He wasn't talented nor was he graceful to watch, but boy could he do a job and for a good chunk of his career, was reliable.

It's great to see him retiring, rather than prolonging the inevitable like many of his peers/former peers have done.

Wish him the best of luck for his future endeavours.
 
Apart from that Sri Lanka game in Jan 2014, i cannot find any other match he won Pakistan. He lost way more matches than he won for Pakistan.
 
May be limited in batting skills or did not perform to his potential, but what truly stood him apart was his well composed, sober and well matured demeanor.

Hardly ever heard him making any stupid, childish and sentimental press statements.
And he also remained a controversy free player.

Both qualities are very rare in Pakistan’s primary players.

A gentleman of the game!

All the best, and wishing him an enjoyable time ahead.
 
Whilst wishing him well for the future Azhar was just terrible to watch. One of the most boring batsmen the game has ever produced I am glad to see the back of him. Batsmen are ultimately judged by how many runs they score not how wonderful people they.
 
Savak said:
He made the most out of his very limited abilities. Babar definitely made it clear he didn't want him in the team anymore hence no surprise here.
Click to expand...


Good decision and a graceful exit, he did the right thing. Majority of Pakistani players complain and make divisive statements for years after their career is over.

Asad Shafiq and Shoaib Malik also need to do same, their international careers have been over as well.
 
Colorblind Genius said:
May be limited in batting skills or did not perform to his potential, but what truly stood him apart was his well composed, sober and well matured demeanor.

Hardly ever heard him making any stupid, childish and sentimental press statements.
And he also remained a controversy free player.

Both qualities are very rare in Pakistan’s primary players.

A gentleman of the game!

All the best, and wishing him an enjoyable time ahead.
Click to expand...

He won many matches for Pakistan. He wasn't the most talented but did more just thru hard work.
 
It always baffled me. Azhar Ali showed on a few occasions that he was very capable of batting at a fast strike rate and could play expansive shots as he showed in the 2017 Champions Trophy against England, Sri Lanka and then India in the final under Mickey Arthur's coaching. But he preferred to stay content with his comfort zone of blind blocking.
 
Not only the standard of Pakistan sports including cricket has touched rock bottom over last 2-3 decades , followers of the game also have changed and their expectation too . Now Azhar Ali is being praised like he was something like Bradman, Richards, Lara and Tedulkar, all in one , just because he was a "nice man" a " gentleman" " played with dignity " forgetting the fact that he was a liability for last 4 years and didn't " retire" until he was finally dropped after many years of failure and he blocked the spot of well deserved youngsters for years. He didn't serve the country, country served him even when he didn't deserve it.

We have to be a bit ruthless , even as the followers of the game, a player is good enough to be praised when he wins matches for the country , not for any of his personal character.

The real problem are the spineless selectors, who had given the option to platers like Azhar and before than Mishab to keep playing well into their 40s even with their prolonged failure . In the past even the superstars like Waqar , Akram, Moeen , Rashid , Qadir and even Miandar didn;t have to retire, they were just dropped and faded away. And now this new drama of announcing " retirement" and goodwill messages of their fan club after being dropped, finally. And, the most ridiculous thing , " one last farewell test ".
 
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