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

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Former superstar bowler Waqar Younis added: “It doesn’t matter if he got runs in this innings or not, he can hold his head high the way he has played for Pakistan with a lot of honour. He’s given everything to the country for all these years. Superb player.”
 
He was an above average player who had the opportunity to become the top test batsman after Misbah and Younis but he struggled. Nonetheless he was good servant without any controversies
 
He was a good player until his knee surgery. Selfless team player with strong principles, I will always appreciate his stance against Amir.
I wish him the best in his future endeavors.
 
aukhan said:
He was a good player until his knee surgery. Selfless team player with strong principles, I will always appreciate his stance against Amir.
I wish him the best in his future endeavors.
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What stance,
The guy came back and loaded with Amir after all that drama. If you are principled,you should by them . Him and Hafeez should have stuck by their stance and set precedence but it was all just a drama.
 
should have been put out of his misery earlier, last 5 years 2000 runs at 35, with 5 hundreds is a pretty terrible return given pak returned to playing at home.
 
A duck is a fitting end to an average career. Was decent in his peak years but played far too long and the blind selectors obviously wanted him to get to 100 caps should have been dropped ages ago. At least he played with integrity.
 
Thanks for your service to the team, an unfortunate end today with the bat but there’s still a day left and hopefully you’ll be part of a magnificent, magical defence of a paltry remaining target.
 
Thanks for your services to Pakistan cricket Azhar Ali. That 300 + plus score against West Indies (Day/Night) test match was a great knock :salute
 
Azhar Ali, talking to Sky Sports...

Azhar: I wanted to play 100 Tests

"I wanted to call it a day after 100 Test matches but due to a combination of the team wanting to rest me for the second Test here I didn't think I would be able to achieve that. I also felt Shan Masood was in form, Saud Shakeel has stepped in and done well so rather than push it through to next year, I thought it was better to quit at my home ground here."

Azhar 'more emotional in first innings'

"I was more emotional in the first innings than the second. It was a nervy start in the first innings. I was quite calm in the second but I am a human being so there was some emotion. I played down the wrong line and Leachy got me out. He has bowled really well in this series. It was my time to say goodbye to international cricket."

Azhar: Final-innings duck gave me mixed feelings

"You want to finish on a high and win your last game, want to contribute. Unfortunately it wasn't to be. [A duck] was a bit of a disappointment so I have mixed feelings. I am thankful to the England and Pakistan team for giving me a send-off."
 
He's nervous after 97 tests. He casually played down the wrong line and got out for a duck when Pak were trailing and needed to fight.

This is his valuable contribution.
 
Billa86 said:
Thanks for your services to Pakistan cricket Azhar Ali. That 300 + plus score against West Indies (Day/Night) test match was a great knock :salute
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This was good about both Azhar and Younis , they were not good batsmen against quality bowling but would not miss chance to score big when facing easy bowling on flat wickets . That's the reason , even with not too bad looking stats , Azhar had hardly saved or won matches for the team , with a very few exceptions and managed to play 97 tests. But for last 3-4 years , he was not scoring more than 30-40 runs on roads also.
 
Energy said:
He's nervous after 97 tests. He casually played down the wrong line and got out for a duck when Pak were trailing and needed to fight.

This is his valuable contribution.
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Sadly, its an unrealistic expectation, his abilities as a batsman have long gone to enable him to duke it out anymore.
 
MenInG said:
Azhar Ali, talking to Sky Sports...

Azhar: I wanted to play 100 Tests

"I wanted to call it a day after 100 Test matches but due to a combination of the team wanting to rest me for the second Test here I didn't think I would be able to achieve that. I also felt Shan Masood was in form, Saud Shakeel has stepped in and done well so rather than push it through to next year, I thought it was better to quit at my home ground.
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The team wanted to rest him for 2nd test? :))) just like the rested him in SL series, shambolic to say the least if team management have told Azhar he was just being rested. Its called being dropped.
 
moghul said:
This was good about both Azhar and Younis , they were not good batsmen against quality bowling but would not miss chance to score big when facing easy bowling on flat wickets . That's the reason , even with not too bad looking stats , Azhar had hardly saved or won matches for the team , with a very few exceptions and managed to play 97 tests. But for last 3-4 years , he was not scoring more than 30-40 runs on roads also.
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I guess you may as well include Babar in this catergory as he usually crumbles in crunch situations when the team needs him the most.
 
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This is where pakistan and its players have got it wrong They play for stats and personal achievement over the teams

Lets be honest if this was an english player his retirement would be immediate He wouldnt get a farewell n hang around like a bad smell He wouldnt talk about wanting to get 10k runs or play 100 tests

Its all about winning matches and they know if they cant contribute to that they will step aside not wait around to be pushed

The day pakistan and its players get out of this mentality of me me me is probably the day when they start to win matches regularly
 
Pakistan batter Azhar Ali said he feared he may never play a Test on home soil at one stage of his career after bowing out from the format with his 180th and final innings.

The 37-year-old was given a guard of honour by his team-mates after being bowled for a duck by England spinner and former Somerset colleague Jack Leach on day three of the third Test in Karachi, which ended with the tourists 112-2 in their second inning and needing just 55 more runs to complete a 3-0 series sweep.

Azhar's first Test in Pakistan was his 76th - he marked that game by scoring a century against Sri Lanka - with his side spending years playing their home games in the United Arab Emirates after the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009.

Former Pakistan Test and ODI captain Azhar ends his 97-Test career as his nation's fifth-leading run-scorer, with only Younis Khan (10,099), Javed Miandad (8,832), Inzamam-ul-Haq (8,829) and Mohammad Yousuf (7,530) managing more than his 7,142.

Azhar told Sky Sports Cricket's Michael Atherton: "At one point, I thought I would never play a Test at home but finally I did that and scored a century as well.

"It was a challenging time, not playing at home and after what happened in England with the spot-fixing [in 2010].

"It wasn't nice, the next two years were hard on us, but credit to the boys. They have worked hard and brought the fans back and also the cricket has come back to Pakistan.

"There have been a lot of ups and downs and challenges in my career. I feel 300 is a special thing for me [Azhar hit 302 against West Indies in Dubai in 2016] because not many people have done it.

"I am also the only Pakistani to score a double hundred in Australia [at Melbourne in 2016] so that is a big achievement, while another highlight was winning the Champions Trophy in 2017 in the white-ball format. I would take that one day in my whole career.

"Representing your country is an honour in itself, but leading them in both formats I played was a great honour for me. I gave a lot of youngsters a chance and they have managed to excel in their careers so I take huge pride in that.

"It is an exciting time for Pakistan cricket. I wish everyone well and hope they keep working hard and playing exciting cricket. People have also seen in this England series how supportive the fans are.

"You don't always perform in every format but we have enough talent, enough potential so we have to stay patient. The players will gain experience with time and become a better team."

On bagging a duck in his final innings, Azhar added: "You want to finish on a high, want to contribute. Unfortunately it wasn't to be.

"It was a bit of a disappointment so I have mixed feelings. I am thankful to the England and Pakistan team for giving me a send-off, that was nice.

"I was more emotional in the first innings than the second. It was a nervy start in the first innings. I was quite calm in the second, but I am a human being so there was some emotion.

"I played down the wrong line and Leachy got me out. He has bowled really well this series. Getting out to my former team-mate… it was my time to say goodbye to international cricket!"

Azhar revealed he had hoped to play 100 Test matches before retiring and says part of his decision to step away was not wanting to stand in the way of other players.

The Lahore-born player said: "I wanted to call it a day after 100 Test matches, but with the team wanting to rest me for the second Test here I didn't think I would be able to achieve that.

"I also felt Shan Masood was on the bench and he is in great form and that Saud Shakeel has stepped in and done well. I thought I would call it a day after this season but rather than push it through to next year, I thought it was better to quit at home."

Sky Sports Cricket's Mark Butcher added of Azhar: "He is a terrific player, one of those solid blokes every team needs.

"Not flashy, doesn't need or chase the headlines, but gets the job done. Pakistan will miss him."

SKY
 
Zaz said:
This is where pakistan and its players have got it wrong They play for stats and personal achievement over the teams

Lets be honest if this was an english player his retirement would be immediate He wouldnt get a farewell n hang around like a bad smell He wouldnt talk about wanting to get 10k runs or play 100 tests

Its all about winning matches and they know if they cant contribute to that they will step aside not wait around to be pushed

The day pakistan and its players get out of this mentality of me me me is probably the day when they start to win matches regularly
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Having said all of the above i do value his contributions to pakistan test team, he was non controversial which in pakistan cricket is rare, he was a model professional who played with respect and although he was never easy on the eye, at his peak gave pakistan a solidity and calmness. It cant have been easy playing all them years away from home and he did it and very successfully too

Even though i wish he had retired much before this moment i do wish him the best for the future
 
In terms of Test average it finished at 42.26 - the highest it ever was 47.19 back in December 2016.

So it dropped by 5 in the last few years of his career.
 
Azhar Ali chiselled a career out of exceeding expectations.

He ended up statistically surpassing all his contemporaries who looked more talented than him - Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal. He can be proud of what he has achieved given what little ability he had.
 
Saj said:
In terms of Test average it finished at 42.26 - the highest it ever was 47.19 back in December 2016.

So it dropped by 5 in the last few years of his career.
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His average was inflated by the big hundreds on dead wickets , scored triple century on Dubai highway against a weak West Indian attack. Was not so great a batsmen when going was tough.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It didn't end the way he will have wanted, but for many years Azhar Ali was a key part of the Pakistan Test team and a very fine player:<br><br>97 matches<br>180 innings<br>7142 runs (5th highest)<br>Highest score 302<br>19 hundreds<br>35 fifties<br>42.26 average<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/t3XKe1rFzw">pic.twitter.com/t3XKe1rFzw</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1605249273108566022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations <a href="https://twitter.com/AzharAli_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AzharAli_</a> on such a wonderful career and many prayers for you in your future <a href="https://t.co/Ax36B9MI7p">https://t.co/Ax36B9MI7p</a> were one of the main reasons for Pakistan becoming the number one test team in 2016.A thorough gentleman and a true ambassador of our beloved country Pakistan. <a href="https://t.co/GztGR2uisW">pic.twitter.com/GztGR2uisW</a></p>— Misbah Ul Haq (@captainmisbahpk) <a href="https://twitter.com/captainmisbahpk/status/1605238391628599301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Azhar Ali speaking in an interview

"I enjoy playing cricket, I will go and play for Worcestershire this year and try to give my best"

"At this moment, I have just retired from Test cricket and enjoying my time. I will see this option later on," he responded to a question regarding his plans to enter coaching after retirement from all three formats.

"Like every other PSL fan, I am also very excited about the start of PSL 8. PSL now feels special because it takes place in our country. People enjoy matches by coming to the stadium in large numbers"
 
Good luck for the future Azhar all the best at Worcester.

The bloke bought some respect back to the team after 2010 match fixing saga.

Wasn’t the most elegant to watch over stayed his time in the team but did his job to the best of his ability & talent.
 
Should probably have retired a few years earlier to earn more appreciation from the fans, but +7000 runs/+40 average in Tests represents him well, certainly is not an ATG, perhaps not even a PCT great, but someone who filled a certain void during the 2010s.
 
Mirpuri Don said:
Should probably have retired a few years earlier to earn more appreciation from the fans, but +7000 runs/+40 average in Tests represents him well, certainly is not an ATG, perhaps not even a PCT great, but someone who filled a certain void during the 2010s.
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Definitely not a PCT great.
 
Azhar Ali was carried by Pakistan since late 2017. The selectors should have been able to make the tough call on his career ages ago.
 
My considered opinion on Azhar Ali:

Seemed like a genuinely good guy so I appreciate him from that respect and wish him the best in his post international career - he is respected, seems intelligent and with the low standards of commentators we have floating around, he could be a good addition to the box.

I respect that he left captaincy of the ODI team when he did. I also respect that he retired from ODIs when he did. Ironically, he actually retired when it seemed he was about to finally get the hang of it - played a crucial knock in the CT 17 final - but fair play to the timing.

As a test player when he first came on the scene, he was the type of player Pakistan crying after because (and it’s hard to believe now) there was a time we didn’t really have batsmen who wanted to play anchor. I did feel he was limited and his ceiling was to barely squeak out a century. For a few years he scored heavily and proved me wrong.

However, he was always a support act, he was never dominating and ultimately when he was given the responsibility to lead the batting his limitations came to light with a bang. The writing should have been on the wall then. He read his ODI limitations very well and it’s a shame he didn’t do that in tests and retire about 4-5 years ago.

He was a frustrating player to watch obviously not only because he was slow, but he always batted as if he was in a crisis and didn’t ever show any adaptability to any situation.

As a result of all of this, it’s a shame he’s retiring when everyone is begging him to rather than people being upset about seeing him go.
 
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Happy birthday to Azhar

Born: February 19, 1985 (age 38 years), Lahore, Pakistan
 
49th First Class hundred for Azhar Ali

A magnificent century 109(144) by the veteran for SNGPL, his side was struggling at 56/4 and he smashed a century off just 129 balls against Glass Ghani in President's Trophy 2023-24.
 
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According to a media report, Azhar Ali is likely to get a key role at the Pakistan Cricket Board.

If true, what role could it be?

Is this a case of Wahab Riaz's friends finding things to do for the PCB?
 
FearlessRoar said:
According to a media report, Azhar Ali is likely to get a key role at the Pakistan Cricket Board.

If true, what role could it be?

Is this a case of Wahab Riaz's friends finding things to do for the PCB?
Click to expand...
Role of how to bat as a tailender at number 3
 
FearlessRoar said:
Probably as batting consultant.
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In any other country he would at best played a few tests but because of our awful batsman for pretty much 2 decades, he managed to get a career of 12 years. Hafeez and Malik scammed 20 years and achieved nothing of note
 
His two innings stand out for me. One was in CT 2017 final and the other one was in a test when he made 300. He had a decent career as a test batsman.
 
FearlessRoar said:
According to a media report, Azhar Ali is likely to get a key role at the Pakistan Cricket Board.

If true, what role could it be?

Is this a case of Wahab Riaz's friends finding things to do for the PCB?​
Click to expand...

Former Pakistan Captain Azhar Ali Applies For NCA Director's Post

Pakistan's former Test and ODI captain Azhar Ali has applied for the post of Director of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore, according to sources. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited applications for the post of Director NCA and a reliable source confirmed that Azhar had not only applied but also shown keen interest in taking up the job. “The PCB is also happy that Azhar has shown interest because of his cricket and educational background,” the source said.

Azhar retired from international cricket last year and since then has been playing first class cricket and is presently in Pakistan for a departmental tournament.

Azhar has played 97 Tests and 53 ODIs and has the experience of 263 first class matches. The PCB will appoint an NCA Director in January.

Another former Test bowler Nadeem Khan is currently serving as acting Director of the NCA after the PCB removed New Zealand's Grant Bradburn from the post earlier this year.​

SOURCE: NDTV
 
Retired from the internationals but still going strong in the domestic games. Azhar Ali has scored his 50th first-class century 140(206) . He gets to the three-figure mark in the President's Trophy match between SNGPL and KRL.
 
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BouncerGuy said:
Retired from the internationals but still going strong in the domestic games. Azhar Ali has scored his 50th first-class century 140(206) . He gets to the three-figure mark in the President's Trophy match between SNGPL and KRL.
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Azhar Ali has cemented his place in the elite club of players with 50 First-class centuries, becoming the 9th Pakistani batter to achieve this milestone.

Screenshot_20240105_003723_Instagram.jpg
 
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Pakistan's legend, Azhar Ali, guided SNGPL to victory over KRL in the fourth round of the President's Trophy 2023. He scored 140 (206) in the first innings, marking his 50th first-class century, and achieved an unbeaten 93* (156) in the second innings.

20240106_153108.jpg
 
Wishing a very happy 39th birthday to the former Pakistan opener, Azhar Ali
 
a highly average player who was made too comfortable and never challenged with another potential challenger for his spot because we did not anyone come close to the national team. I am sure any of our other high scoring domestic players would have had a similar if not better career. In my opinion he was dishonest because he did play politics to keep his spot in the team secure
 
As per media reports, Pakistan Cricket Board is poised to appoint former Test cricketer Azhar Ali to a significant role. It is anticipated that Azhar will either join the selection committee or take up a position at the high-performance center within the board. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is keen on leveraging Azhar's wealth of experience.
 
After Jason Gillesppie, Azhar probably 2nd best ever nightwatchmen in test cricket
 
Good test batsman.

Good enough to play 60 tests, not that good enough to go on to play 97 tests.
 
Country great. He is to Pakistan what Pujara is to India, Damien Martyn is to Australia, Ian Bell-England etc.
 
Martyn and Pujara are both higher tiers to Bell who also is probably a shade higher than Azhar.

Martyn and Pujara have standout performances in "away" test series wins for their nations. Bell probably has same output as Azhar but former likely to impact the game higher than latter.
 
anikrc1 said:
Damien Martyn is comparable to Laxman, a higher tier player compared to others.
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I said he is to Pakistan.....meaning relative.

Obviously Australia has the greatest batting legacy, followed by India, and then the others.
 
Azhar Ali is a cricketer I have alot of respect for, and I really don't understand the hate towards him?

Yes did he retire a few years to late from test? 100% but idk why that's an issue when our legends like inzi and saeed Anwar are even more Are guilty of this.

This guy was a good cricketer who punched > His weight and to this date pakistan have not found a better middle to lower order combo since Azhar + Younis + misbah + shafiq + Sarfraz.

This man always tried his best and he wasnt an ego head. Didn't want captaincy in odi in the first place but took it due to misbah requesting, As soon as he found out he sucked, he stepped down from captaincy on his own accord and no one forced him to. Unlike babar azam who was first forced to step down and then took it back.

Misbah dis the same, forced to step away from t20, and forced to get sacked as coach.

His ct 2017 final knock was a great innings and he was a true player who played for the crest on his chest.

I have huge respect for this man for his services to our test team and even services after stepping down as captain. I don't think people realise how mature you have to be to accept it due to someone asking you to and then willingly stepping down yourself for the interest of the nation.
 
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