Afghanistan cricketer Noor Ali Zadran has announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday, March 7. Ali Zadran's last appearance in international cricket was in a one-off Test match against Ireland, where he opened the batting with his nephew Ibrahim Ali Zadran for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan Cricket Board confirmed Noor Ali Zadran's retirement via tweet on X handle (formerly Twitter), stating that the veteran cricketer decided to call his time in international cricket.
"𝐍𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐢 𝐙𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞! Top-order batter @NoorAliZadran decided to call time on his international cricket. He has represented #AfghanAtalan in 2 Tests, 51 ODIs and 23 T20Is and has scored 1930 runs with 11 fifties and a hundred to his name."
Noor Ali Zadran's retirement was announced before the start of the first ODI of the three-match series against Ireland at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE on Thursday. Noor Ali was not part of the ODI squad for the series against Ireland but received a special guard of honour from Afghanistan players as he walked off the field before the beginning of series opener.
When Noor Ali Zadran received his first Test cap from his nephew Ibrahim ahead of the one-off Test against Sri Lanka in January 2024, he became the oldest Afghanistan player to make his debut in the longest format of the game.
After pulling curtains down on his international cricket, Noor Ali Zadran will continue to play in domestic cricket, representing Mis Ainak Knights
Noor Ali Zadran's International career
Noor Ali Zadran made his international debut for Afghanistan in an ODI match against Scotland in April 2009. It was in the same year Afghanistan received ODI status from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
In 2010, Noor Ali made his T20I debut against Canada. He was part of Afghanistan winning squad that qualified for the 2010 T20 World Cup, defeating Ireland in the qualifiers. He was named in Afghanistan's squad for the showpiece event in West Indies.
Noor Ali Zadran's best performance in ODI came against Canada, where he notched up his maiden century in the format and scored 114 off 127 balls. In the 2010 T20 World Cup, Noor Ali Zadran scored 50 off 48 balls and formed a 68-run partnership with Asghar Afghan. However, his knock couldn't save his team from losing against India.
After 14 years of making international debut, Zadran finally received his Test cap from his nephew Ibrahim Ali Zadran. He played two Tests before call its quits from international cricket.
Throughout his international career, Zadran played 51 ODIs, 23 T20Is and 2 Tests and scored 1930 runs with 11 half-centuries to his name.
