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.
Comments (66) Closed
He is naturally a T20 and marginally an ODI player.
Score a century then a long drought . That pretty much summed up his mediocre cricket career.
timely and appropriate from the Professor. thanks for your service to the country.
Don't need to announce it - your absence will not be felt.
Good decision.
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
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.
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.
Good luck.
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
Good decision, albeit 5 years too late.
Good timely decison. Wish him success in future life.
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.
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.
Thanks for your services. Please don't intend to take this decision back in any case. Good decision though.
Unsung hero. His magic deliveries can still win world cup next year. Class apart magic. Thanks sarfarz for preseving his bowling in Test series.
A gentleman of the sport, a patriot, you will be missed.
Why man why! Very sad moment
Alhamdulillah.
Retire from Test only please. You should have retired when you decided.
His time should have been up from Test cricket 10 years ago!
Good luck for the future.
Well played but didnt do justice to the real talent
nice decision as the next series is where Dale Styne lives.
Thank you!
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.
thank you very much for serving the country for so long. best of luck in shorter formats
Hafeez who?
No way, Dale Stayne waiting for him in South Africa to improve his record.
Good move, give youngsters' a chance!
Dale Steyn will be a very sad man!!!
@M.Saeed, IN current pakistan everyone is only T20.No one can win you One day or test matches
I feel you are the worst cricketer in Pakistan team.
Thanks! Could u plead take Imam with u?
The right decision though the right time was 10 years ago.
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!
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.
Please don’t do an Afridi on your retirement
By & large an average player with few flashes in the pan...
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.
This guy is not international class. He has failed on so many occasions but is given more chances. Give new players a chance
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.
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.
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.
Finally. Please retire from all forms and do Pakistan Cricket a favor please.
He wasn’t corrupt and played to the best of his abilities nice bloke. He shud be thanked and wished good luck.
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 .
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.
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
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.....
It is smart to retire on top before embarrassing oneself. 38 is old in his profession.
Overdue decision but a good one.
Great work done by Hafeez
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! Mickey was right
Ptv sports persons extended his carrier lk lateef waseem etc otherwise was failure as batsman n pakistan had never shortage of bowlers ...........................................................................................................
Ptv sports made him batsman otherwise he was failure as batsman from 2005 n pak never was short of bowlers
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.
The time is long passed.
Announcing retirement at this age is also be considered as service to the national cricket.
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.
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.
@M.Saeed, WHAT ??? He is nothing.. He should do something else for a change instead of clinging on to cricket; Maybe play ping pong...
@fairplay, What service to country ???? He deprived other young player the slot to play for Pakistan; He is a selfish crook;
@Ali, YES … so correctly said;
Mate time was up 15 years ago!
He was never needed in the team, especially in the test matches.