KARACHI: One of Pakistan's most effective red-ball batsmen, Azhar Ali, made the announcement on Friday that he will be retiring from Test cricket after the third and final game of the series against England, which starts on Saturday.
Ali will play his 97th and final Test for Pakistan against England in Karachi, having made his Test debut against Australia at Lord's in 2010. He has scored 7,097 runs overall in 96 games, averaging 42.49, with 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries.

"I consider it a huge honour and privilege to have had the opportunity to represent my nation at the greatest level. It's never easy to decide when to hang up the baton, but after giving it some serious thought, I came to the conclusion that now is the ideal time for me to stop playing Test cricket.

I am thankful to a lot of individuals for helping me on this difficult but lovely trip. I want to specifically thank my family for their efforts, without which I would not be where I am today. My pillars of support have always been my parents, my wife, my siblings, and my kids "Ali stated in a statement released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Also, Ali ranks fifth among Pakistan's Test cricketers in terms of runs scored, trailing only the great batsmen Younis Khan (10,099), Javed Miandad (8,832), Inzamam-ul-Haq (8,829), and Mohammad Yousuf (7,530). Azhar made his Test debut at age 25 in 2010, and in only his second Test game, he quickly reached his first Test half-century.

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