What’s the story?
Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq announced his international retirement, nearly four years after his last game for Pakistan. The 37-year-old last played for Pakistan in a T20I against South Africa in 2013 while his final ODI was in 2011 and Test was over a decade ago.
The all-rounder admitted that he only blames himself for not playing for Pakistan as he had given up after he was “tired of all the internal politics”. The veteran admitted that if he didn’t give up, he could have earned his place back in the side.
Speaking about his decision to announce his retirement, Razzaq told The Express Tribune: “A time comes when every player has to retire and I think this is the right time for me to do so. I have been out of cricket for the past three to four years, so it is really difficult to make a comeback now.
“Shahid Afridi, Misbah (ul-Haq), Younis (Khan) and Mohammad Yousuf — all the players who I used to play with back in the day — have retired. The announcement is merely a formality. The main thing is coming to terms with the reality that your time in international cricket has ended.”
In case you didn’t know…
Razzaq made his international debut in 1996 and represented Pakistan in 343 matches across all formats before calling time on his career that last over decades, even if he was active in the international circuit until 2013.
The heart of the matter
The 37-year-old made his ODI debut in 1996 against Zimbabwe and went on to play 265 matches and score over 5,000 runs at an average of nearly 30 and picked up nearly 270 wickets at an economy rate of under 4.7.
His first Test for Pakistan came in 1999 and although he played 46 matches in the format, it was in colored clothing that he was most effective. He even represented Pakistan in 32 T20Is, including his final international match, against South Africa at Dubai on 15 November 2013.
What’s next?
Razzaq last played a domestic game in January 2015 but will continue to play first-class games for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines and continue to be Quetta Gladiators’ assistant coach.
Author’s Take
Although he had once announced his retirement in 2007 when he wasn’t picked for the 2007 World T20 and returned back to the side in 2009 after playing for Hyderabad Heroes in the Indian Cricket League, this looks like the end of a fine limited-overs all-rounder.
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