This 37 years old Zaheer Khan announced his retirement in worldwide Cricket, He also tweeted in his micro-blogging site.
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Zaheer Khan sustained the hand injury during the year 2014, but still he managed after playing seven IPL matches, His last match is Test match with New Zealand played in Wellington last year.
“The toughest call in a cricketing career is when one has to walk away from the game itself”, he said in a statement published on the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s website.
“The whole journey was unbelievable and I am proud of the fact that I started the journey from Shrirampur (in Maharashtra, his birth place) and then in Mumbai from National Cricket Club (of former India opener Sudhir Naik)”. He said, he is looking forward to signing off his last season in domestic cricket at the conclusion of the Indian Premier League season 9. Zaheer took 21 wickets in the tournament, finishing joint highest wicket-taker with Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi. Today, I have many many individuals to thank – from physios, trainers, support staff, colleagues, Captains, coaches, selectors, senior officials, administrators in various Associations, groundsmen, Team management as also team owners. Zaheer is the fourth highest wicket taker for India with 311 wickets in 92 tests and 282 wickets in 200 ODI’s, a genuine match victor in all conditions.
While India’s pitches are traditionally tailor-made for batsmen and mostly assist spinners, Zaheer burst onto the scene with a penchant for swinging the ball both ways and a potent yorker.
All said and done though, Zaheer’s influence on Indian cricket is enormous, and not just for the wickets he claimed.
Zaheer served India splendidly, till he was let down by his body, more than once, and also occasionally by men in authority who looked only at the present and the next day. Especially with me, knowing Zak is Back can happen, I thought that I can give that final push. I was not sure what’s next.
Zaheer, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians before moving to Delhi in the IPL, expressed his gratitude towards the game. Had you been a batsman in this cricket-crazed country, perhaps you too would have got your own farewell series.
Following a shoulder injury that has put paid his efforts to return to action, Zaheer has capped a 14-year long career punctuated by considerable success as well as crippling injuries.
“And he invited me to India after that meeting to discuss the issue of bilateral series”, said the PCB chief during a press conference here on Thursday.
“My best wishes to him for post-retirement career”.
“My greatest cricketing moment was lifting the World Cup”, said Zaheer. Over 300 Test wickets playing for India and on Indian pitches is a creditable achievement.
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“On the advice of ICC chairman N. Srinivasan, I phoned the newly-elected BCCI president Shashank Manohar in India, asking him to confirm the series”.
