This is what I would do if I was Mickey Arthur.
I would say the following to Azhar Ali:
"Congratulations on a wonderful year. I've been proud to have you in the team I coach.
It's time for us to look forward and try to plan the next stage of your career.
As you know, you are the same age as Alastair Cook and AB De Villiers. It probably seems strange to you that their careers are coming to an end while you are in such awesome form. But I'd like to talk a little about that.
Misbah and Younis were great servants to Pakistan cricket and they saved us from disgrace. They were the best trainers we had, the fittest players we had. Younis was probably the greatest ever Pakistan batsman. They were brilliant role models to young players like you.
But I'm not sure whether you noticed what happened to them as batsmen when they become older than anyone else in world cricket. They still scored some big innings, especially in Asia, but if you think back to South Africa, to England, to Australia, I think something else happened.
Younis kept his average up, but he failed in 5 innings out of 6 in South Africa, in 6 innings out of 7 in England and in 8 innings out of 10 in Australia and New Zealand.
Think back. It's true, isn't it? You were there, Azhar!
And the consistency of those Younis Khan failures meant that we lost 8 of those 10 Test matches.
This happens to every batsman outside Asia. You reach a certain age and you fail much more often than you succeed, even if your occasional big innings keep your average up.
I'm telling you this Azhar because that is why Alastair Cook and AB De Villiers are at the end of the road. Soon you will be the oldest batsman left in Test cricket.
I know that you are the best batsman in the team. But I also know that sooner or later - I hope much later - this will happen to you.
Like Cook, that's why I'm relieved that you are not the new captain. I know you could do it, but I want you to focus on keeping your batting world class for as long as possible, without the worries of captaincy.
Take every Test series one at a time. As long as you are performing, you will be the first batsman named in the team.
Where I'm different to the people who went before me is that I don't think we can afford for two veteran batsmen to lose form at the same time. I want you as the only older batsman in the team. That's why there is no road back for Salman Butt, even though he is your age. You stayed clean and he didn't, so you are the one who stays as the senior batsman. It's also why there will be no Fawad Alam.
In Australia, many generations of cricketer have been influenced by Ian Chappell, who is a great believer in going out at the top. Don't wait until your performances are declining. When you are not the batsman you used to be, go. Don't wait to be dropped.
That would be great advice for you and every other Pakistan cricketer.
Make the most of your ability and your career. At this late stage, when you are 32, don't bother with the captaincy, just enjoy the time left to you as a batsman.
But once you think you can't guarantee yourself at least 35 runs in 3/4 of your innings outside Asia, that's when it will be time to call it a day."
