I am Proud to Represent Pakistan For 15 Years: Younis Khan
Younis Khan played his last ODI on Wednesday against England. He has scored 7249 runs in his ODI career
Pakistan batsman Younis Khan ended his one-day career after the first ODI against England in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, scoring just nine in his last match. (Younis Khan's Retirement Leaved PCB Perplexed)
The 37-year-old had wanted to leave the format on a high after he was selected in the 16-man squad for the four-match series against England despite patchy recent form but his wish remained unfulfilled.
He fell caught at mid-on by Adil Rashid off seamer Reece Topley. Wednesday's game was Younis' 265th one-day international, nearly 16 years after making his debut against Sri Lanka in Karachi in February 2000. Younis scored 7,249 runs with seven hundreds and 48 half-centuries in one dayers, but managed just 72 runs in his last six games - all this year. Younis had retired from Twenty20 cricket after leading Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title in England in 2009.
He was subsequently out of the one-day squad for most of 2013 before being selected for the tour of Sri Lanka in June last year. He managed to score just three in the only match before he had to return home following the death of his nephew.
Dropped from the one-day team against Australia last year, Younis smashed a total of 468 in the 2-0 Test win against Australia that forced the selectors to recall him to the one-day team. But he failed miserably in the World Cup, managing six, nought and 37 in the three matches he played before being dropped from the side again.
Consulted friends & family
Younis said he had consulted with those close to him before reaching the decision. "I am proud to announce that after playing for Pakistan for 15 years I am announcing my retirement. I consulted with my close friends and family members before taking this decision," Younis said in a statement.
"As a batsman I played a positive role in the team's wins in one-day cricket and now I realise that it's time to keep myself away from limited overs cricket," said Younis, who will continue to play Test cricket. "It's always a tough decision for a player to retire. I played my cricket with sincerity and discipline and see Pakistan's future as bright and am sure that youngsters can fill in," he added.