Azhar Ali bids adieu to ODI cricket

Former Pakistan skipper Azhar Ali on Thursday announced his retirement from the One-Day International (ODI) cricket.

Reflecting on the same, the 33-year-old said that he made the decision so that he could focus on the betterment of his career in Test format.

"I just want to focus on Test cricket only. I made this decision for the betterment of my career. I never played T20 cricket, so it makes sense to hang my boots in the shorter formats of the game," the Express Tribune quoted Ali, as saying.

Ali, who led the Pakistan side in 31 ODIs, expressed his desire to serve the team as long as his body allows. He further added that he would continue playing domestic One-Day and T20 matches.

"I feel honoured that I represented the country in 53 ODIs -31 as captain. I am fully committed to Test cricket and would want to serve the country for as long as I can maintain my form and fitness. I would continue to play Domestic One Day and T20 matches," he added.

The right-hand batsman also wished his team ahead of the 2019 World Cup and said that Pakistan have talented young batsmen who would serve with utmost excellence.

"As a former ODI captain, I wish the team the very best for what is an incredibly important season ahead of the World Cup next June. There are some talented young batsmen who are part of the set-up now and I am supremely confident that they will serve Pakistan cricket with distinction," he added.

Ali has scored a total of 1,845 runs in 53 ODIs and 5,303 runs in 67 Test matches he has played so far.