Mohammad Hafeez feels 'time is up', announces retirement from Test cricket
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Struggling Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez said on Tuesday he was retiring from Test cricket after the ongoing third and final match against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi.
The 38-year-old has managed just 66 runs in seven innings since scoring a hundred against Australia in Dubai last month following his recall to five-day cricket.
The Abu Dhabi Test is Hafeez's 55th since making his debut against Bangladesh in Karachi in 2003. He has so far scored 3,644 runs with 10 centuries and 12 half centuries.
"I feel time is up," said Hafeez. "I am announcing my retirement and feel happy that I worked hard in my career."
A few months back Hafeez had decided to announce his retirement from cricket but wife Nazia and former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar stepped in to persuade him he still had a role to play.
Hafeez was dropped from the Test side after faring poorly in the first three matches of Pakistan's series in England two years ago, before being recalled for series against Australia in October.
He celebrated his recall with a century in the first Test against Australia in October and later revealed that his wife had persuaded him not to quit the sport.
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On DawnNews
Comments (66) Closed
Dec 04, 2018 07:11pm
He is naturally a T20 and marginally an ODI player.
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Dec 04, 2018 07:12pm
Score a century then a long drought . That pretty much summed up his mediocre cricket career.
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Dec 04, 2018 07:17pm
timely and appropriate from the Professor. thanks for your service to the country.
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Dec 04, 2018 07:19pm
Don't need to announce it - your absence will not be felt.
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Dec 04, 2018 07:20pm
Good decision.
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Dec 04, 2018 07:29pm
Sorry to hear about your retirement news. You have decided the right time. Instead of PCB push you out. You went own your own. SO congratulations and enjoy the now free time with your family and teach the young kids for the future.
Best of luck
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Dec 04, 2018 07:30pm
Better late than never. The writing was on the wall for this cricketer of 38+ who excelled in ODI''s but not really in test matches. He will however prove to be a good coach for the youngsters.
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Dec 04, 2018 07:31pm
Thanks for your service, the decision is around 3 years too late, but still. You can do what Malik is doing, concentrate on T20 and ODI, and now help the team bring the cup home in the summer.
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Dec 04, 2018 07:36pm
Good luck.
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Dec 04, 2018 07:40pm
Finally.... He was always a bits and pieces player.... Good talent but poor technique.... Should have quit atleast 3 years back.... Der aaye durust aaye
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Dec 04, 2018 07:42pm
Good decision, albeit 5 years too late.
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Dec 04, 2018 07:50pm
Good timely decison. Wish him success in future life.
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Dec 04, 2018 08:00pm
A very good decision. But it would have been much better if he had retired after he scored the century against Australia. That way he would have left on top instead of now, after successive failures.
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Dec 04, 2018 08:05pm
Very sensible. He can contribute in lower order in limited overs. Imam and Asif’s performance is also very ordinary too.. they should be dropped as well. Fakhar should open with some other young opener with good domestic record. I personally think Hussain Talat is could be a good batsman in odi and test. And why not bring Akmal and Shahzad back. Shahzad hasn’t got that bad test record as a test opener.
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Dec 04, 2018 08:05pm
Thanks for your services. Please don't intend to take this decision back in any case. Good decision though.
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Dec 04, 2018 08:14pm
Unsung hero. His magic deliveries can still win world cup next year. Class apart magic. Thanks sarfarz for preseving his bowling in Test series.
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Dec 04, 2018 08:15pm
A gentleman of the sport, a patriot, you will be missed.
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Dec 04, 2018 08:15pm
Why man why! Very sad moment
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Dec 04, 2018 08:38pm
Alhamdulillah.
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Dec 04, 2018 08:39pm
Retire from Test only please. You should have retired when you decided.
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Dec 04, 2018 08:50pm
His time should have been up from Test cricket 10 years ago!
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Dec 04, 2018 08:53pm
Good luck for the future.
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Dec 04, 2018 08:53pm
Well played but didnt do justice to the real talent
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Dec 04, 2018 09:00pm
nice decision as the next series is where Dale Styne lives.
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Dec 04, 2018 09:42pm
Thank you!
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Dec 04, 2018 09:43pm
His future can only thrive on subcontinent pitches and that to in T20 where flaw in technique dont really matter..He is also a miss and hit in the ODI format. PCB should make it mandatory for every batsmen to maintain and decent average as a pretext for selection. This will help selectors select players based on thier performances rather than nepotism. Hafeez has been a liability on the team for quite sometime..he should just be used for T20s being played in subcontinent pitches.
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Dec 04, 2018 09:46pm
thank you very much for serving the country for so long. best of luck in shorter formats
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Dec 04, 2018 09:59pm
Hafeez who?
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Dec 04, 2018 10:21pm
No way, Dale Stayne waiting for him in South Africa to improve his record.
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Dec 04, 2018 10:28pm
Good move, give youngsters' a chance!
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Dec 04, 2018 10:34pm
Dale Steyn will be a very sad man!!!
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Dec 04, 2018 10:34pm
@M.Saeed, IN current pakistan everyone is only T20.No one can win you One day or test matches
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Dec 04, 2018 11:06pm
I feel you are the worst cricketer in Pakistan team.
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Dec 04, 2018 11:09pm
Thanks! Could u plead take Imam with u?
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Dec 04, 2018 11:11pm
The right decision though the right time was 10 years ago.
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Dec 04, 2018 11:40pm
This is what happens when you rely on others for making your own decisions. His retirement earlier would have been more meaningful. Now, it is obvious he is frustrated and so are others. Anyways, let's close this chapter and find a young lad who focuses on performing and performing!
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Dec 04, 2018 11:42pm
He is in good form in T20 and somewhat in ODI because started playing attacking cricket so if he will be keep playing like this and here and there gives some help in bowling he can play in 2019 WC and should retire from international cricket after this. Enjoy T20 leagues like Shahid Afridi.
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Dec 04, 2018 11:46pm
Please don’t do an Afridi on your retirement
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Dec 04, 2018 11:56pm
By & large an average player with few flashes in the pan...
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Dec 05, 2018 01:12am
Our nation lacks the understanding of retirement in general. There is a right time and one must know is intutively to let oneself rid of later humiliation in case he/she decides otherwise.
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Dec 05, 2018 02:12am
This guy is not international class. He has failed on so many occasions but is given more chances. Give new players a chance
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Dec 05, 2018 02:32am
Kind of selfish of Hafeez to quit now. On this tour Pak selected should have pick a player for the future instead of Hafeez. Then in Pakistan cricket individual feats means more to the players than playing for Pakistisn.
It would have been nice to try new players for the future tour of SA.
Hafeez you have just wasted everybody time, good riddance and don't bother about the ODI's.
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Dec 05, 2018 02:40am
I have been hearing about his age as 38 for the last 8 years! Because of people like Him and Shoaib Malik,the newcomers don't start Cricket in the National Team till they are in their 30's and then they stick around for 10-15 years.
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Dec 05, 2018 02:54am
Then why we have been playing him in home tests? we should have been grooming someone else. he knew he wont survive in South Africa. He will be retiring from ODI and T20 soon as well.
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Dec 05, 2018 03:21am
Finally. Please retire from all forms and do Pakistan Cricket a favor please.
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Dec 05, 2018 04:04am
He wasn’t corrupt and played to the best of his abilities nice bloke. He shud be thanked and wished good luck.
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Dec 05, 2018 04:27am
Should have retired after the last test on a high note , thts alright never too late . Enjoy your retirement and thanks for your services for the country .
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Dec 05, 2018 04:34am
Its not Hafeez's fault. Its the think tank who thinks that he has the technique of an opening batsman! Its almost a crime to play him against any decent swing bowling with the new ball. How did he play 15 years, made it back in the team and how coaches kept playing him as an opener demands a JIT inquiry. He is an average allrounder who is good for T20 type cricket only.
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Dec 05, 2018 05:42am
Its unfortunate he scored the century against Australia - otherwise they might have dropped him right away and prepared a youngster for the role. Now they are planning to visit South Africa and have no decent opener at all as Imam is turning out to be as bad as Hafeez. Azhar Ali will probably have to open in South Africa which means they still don't have another decent opener or number 3
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Dec 05, 2018 05:48am
Cricket is entertainment first, a sport later. If it was not entertaining, no one would watch or play. Hafeez was fun to watch in or out of form. You cannot say that about a lot of players. Do you find Asad Shafique's batting fun to watch? I don't.
Him and Imam are the one's that need to be shown the door. Imam is averaging under 14 in this series, and he is at the beginning of his career. Do you think he belongs in the team? If it wasn't for his uncle.....
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Dec 05, 2018 06:16am
It is smart to retire on top before embarrassing oneself. 38 is old in his profession.
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Dec 05, 2018 06:25am
Overdue decision but a good one.
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Dec 05, 2018 07:52am
Great work done by Hafeez
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Dec 05, 2018 08:02am
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!
Mickey was right
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Dec 05, 2018 08:58am
Ptv sports persons extended his carrier lk lateef waseem etc otherwise was failure as batsman n pakistan had never shortage of bowlers ...........................................................................................................
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Dec 05, 2018 09:00am
Ptv sports made him batsman otherwise he was failure as batsman from 2005 n pak never was short of bowlers
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Dec 05, 2018 09:57am
Professor was never a test level player given his stats and recent performance. He is 38 so he has left few years of cricket in him. Also back up should be looked up. He should focus on T20 and ODI. Right step he took to retire from test match, otherwise he would have been forced to retire.
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Dec 05, 2018 10:44am
The time is long passed.
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Dec 05, 2018 01:17pm
Announcing retirement at this age is also be considered as service to the national cricket.
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Dec 05, 2018 01:17pm
That is probably best for Hafeez and Pakistan though I would say this should have happened a few years back. Not happy with Shoaib Akhtar as he announced Hafeez’s plan to retire before Hafeez which is not good professionalism and friendship on his part. Hafeez is not a test batsman and cannot handle the moving ball. Maybe it is a good opportunity for Fawad Alam or another opener to be given an opportunity. In a way I am glad Hafeez is not going to SA because he cannot handle Dale Stein. Maybe it is time to change both openers as Imam’s performance has been questionable too.
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Dec 05, 2018 02:42pm
Although somewhat late, great decision by the so-called greenshirt professor. Now, he can fully focus on T/20 and ODI cricket for his team, which has been his speciality since day one.
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Dec 05, 2018 10:28pm
@M.Saeed, WHAT ??? He is nothing.. He should do something else for a change instead of clinging on to cricket; Maybe play ping pong...
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Dec 05, 2018 10:29pm
@fairplay, What service to country ???? He deprived other young player the slot to play for Pakistan; He is a selfish crook;
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Dec 05, 2018 10:29pm
@Ali, YES … so correctly said;
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Dec 06, 2018 01:45am
Mate time was up 15 years ago!
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Dec 07, 2018 07:16pm
He was never needed in the team, especially in the test matches.
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