Mohammad Hafeez to retire after T20 World Cup 2020

Mohammad Hafeez, the veteran all-rounder from Pakistan is at the fag end of his career. The former Pakistan skipper is struggling to find a regular place in the national side since the World Cup last year. There has been a long debate about his retirement. And the man himself has confirmed now that he will hang his boots after the T20 World Cup later this year.

The 39-year-old is undoubtedly one of the best all-rounders Pakistan has produced in its cricketing history. He has played 55 Tests, 218 ODIs and 91 T20Is amassing 12,258 runs across all the formats. Moreover, Hafeez has accounted for a total of 246 international wickets for his team.

The veteran cricketer recently played for Lahore Qalandars in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020. He scored a total of 217 runs in 10 games with the help of one fifty (98*). In a recent interview, Hafeez said that he will retire from international cricket after the T20 World Cup that is slated to begin from October in Australia. But due to the Coronavirus outbreak, there are doubts over the tournament going ahead as of now.

Mohammad Hafeez to play in T20 leagues after retiring

Despite retiring from international cricket, Mohammad Hafeez will continue playing cricket as a freelancer in different leagues across the globe. The 39-year-old recited that he is not thinking much about the future. He might also become a coach. But, it all depends on the conditions and situations at that time.

“After World T20 I have decided I will retire from international cricket and just focus on playing in T20 leagues. It could be coaching, I don’t know when the time comes I will make up my mind,” Hafeez was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

After being sidelined from Pakistan team post the World Cup, he made a comeback for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh earlier this year. The senior player grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he performed exceedingly well for Pakistan. He scored a match-winning fifty as well for his team.