Playing his last Test for Pakistan, Azhar Ali received a guard of honour at National Stadium Karachi after his dismissal. The veteran batter, unfortunately, got out without opening his account against England.
As he walked back to the pavilion, the crowd got up applauding his illustrious cricketing career. In the video, posted by Pakistan Cricket Board on Twitter, English players can be seen rushing to congratulate Ali. The video is filled with emotions as the English men clap to show their appreciation and the Pakistani players hold their bats on top to give Azhar Ali a guard of honour as he departs the field.
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“For the final time… Farewell,” read the caption posted with the video.
For the final time.Farewell, @AzharAli_ 💚#PAKvENG | #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/IBlftcxxXR
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 19, 2022
Ali made his test debut at Lord’s against Australia in July 2010. He was one of the few Pakistani players to make their Test Debut before their ODI debut. In a Test career that has spanned over a decade, the Lahore-born batter amassed a total of 7142 runs with an average of 42.26.
During his time with the national side, he scored nineteen centuries, three double centuries along with 35 half-centuries.
Ali announced his retirement on the eve of their third test match of the series against England. “It has been a great honour and privilege for me to represent my country at the highest level….Deciding on when to call it a day is always tough, but, after contemplating deeply, I realised that this is the right time for me to retire from Test cricket.”
The 37-year-old will end his career as one of Pakistan’s most prolific batters. His 302-run innings against West indies gives him access to an exclusive list of only four Pakistani cricketers who have gone on to score a triple century.
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Talking about the match, England scored 354 in reply to Pakistan’s score of 304 in the first innings. As the home team came out to back bat in the second innings, English bowlers managed to make a crack in their batting lineup. Pakistan were batting at 208/7 at the time of writing this report. The hosts have a 158-run lead and will be hoping to get to a respectable total.
Pakistan, after losing the series with back-to-back defeats in the first two Tests, will want to register a win to close the series on high.
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