Younis Khan Announces Retirement From One-day Internationals
Younis Khan will call it quits after playing the first ODI match against England in Abu Dhabhi.
Pakistan batsman Younis Khan has announced his retirement from ODI cricket, saying the first day-night international against England in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday will be his last match. (Younis Khan Becomes First Pakistan Batsman to Reach 9000 Test Runs)
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.
Wednesday's game will be Younis's 265th One-day International, nearly 16 years after making his debut against Sri Lanka in Karachi in February 2000.
Going into his last match, Younis has scored 7,240 runs with seven hundreds and 48 half-centuries in one dayers.
"He will retire from one-day cricket after Wednesday's game and he has conveyed this to us," team manager Intikhab Alam told AFP.
The national selectors had, in a surprise move, recalled Younis for the four-match ODI series against Englandafter ignoring him for this format since the World Cup early this year in Australia and New Zealand.
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 2015, managing 6, nought and 37 in the three matches he played before being dropped from the side again.
Younis last week said he wanted to have a final fling in limited overs cricket and wanted to go out on a high.
"I want to play a few more matches and then go on a high," said Younis. "I have served the team well so its my wish to retire after scoring a big knock."