Afghanistan pacer Hamid Hassan to retire after the World Cup

Afghanistan will be playing their second World Cup which is set to take place in England and Wales later this month. They have announced a strong 15-man preliminary squad for the tournament which has a surprise name in Hamid Hassan. He last played an ODI back in 2016 and his selection certainly raised a few eyebrows. His injuries has been mainly marred with injuries and Hassan has cleared that he will retire after the World Cup.

He was also the part of the Afghanistan team when they registered their maiden win in the mega event four years ago over Scotland. Hamid Hassan had played a crucial hand with the bat in that game apart from picking eight wickets in six matches of the World Cup 2015. While it is a known fact that he brings plenty of experience to the squad, injuries took a toll on his body over the years.

“Probably this is going to be my last World Cup for my country. I may stop playing ODI cricket after this tournament. However, I would continue playing T20 cricket, either for Afghanistan or in the Shpageeza League (domestic T20 league) or the leagues abroad,” he said in an interview to the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

Time to consider health seriously

Hamid Hassan is of the opinion that his fitness will get affected if he continues playing in the 50-over format. Though the cricketer hopes to feature in the T20 Internationals for his country. “As a player who has dedicated all his life to cricket, the decision to quit is always a tough one. However, after a lot of thought, I felt after the injuries and the recovery process I went through, it is time to consider my health seriously.

“If I continue playing further ODI cricket, it may harm my knee. However, if I play four-day cricket, it’ll help me extend my cricket career, enabling me to participate in T20s for Afghanistan,” Hassan further added.

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