Afghanistan’s ODI Star Noor Ali Zadran Retires from International Cricket

Noor Ali Zadran, who holds the distinction of being Afghanistan’s ninth ODI cap, announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday. His career spanned two Test matches, 51 ODIs, and 23 T20Is.

Zadran made a memorable debut in Afghanistan’s first-ever ODI against Scotland at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in 2009, scoring a swift 45 off just 28 balls. His final appearance came last week in a Test match against Ireland at the Tolerance Oval.

Noor Ali Zadran calls it a day!
Top-order batsman @NoorAliZadran has decided to hang up his boots from international cricket. He has represented #AfghanAtalan in 2 Tests, 51 ODIs and 23 T20Is, amassing 1930 runs, including 11 half-centuries and a century.#AFGvIRE pic.twitter.com/8UGGNjvBM0

The 35-year-old opening batsman retires with an impressive tally of 1216 runs in ODIs, including a century and seven half-centuries. Zadran made his T20I debut in 2010 and his last T20I appearance was in 2023.

Zadran also made an unexpected Test debut earlier this year, earning his first call-up to the longest format of the game.

In a touching moment, Zadran was presented his Test cap by his nephew and teammate, Ibrahim Zadran. The pair then collaborated for an opening stand of 106 runs in the second innings of the Test match.