Former Bangladesh opener Shahriar Nafees and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak retired from all forms of cricket.
The veteran cricketers called it a day to their playing career through a ceremony organized by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday, reports BSS.
Both of them however had already begun their new career with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Razzak was named as the third member of the national selection panel while left-handed batsman Nafees joined the BCB cricket operations department in a managerial post.
The duo was presented with crests by BCB president Nazmul Hasan, directors and high-ups of the board.
“It is natural for everything to come to an end and that someone else will take my place,” said 38-year old Razzak.
“I was a student of BKSP and today I would like to thank my childhood coaches Sarwar Imran and Nazmul Abedeen Fahim. I met them when I was 13 and they turned me into a cricket who went to represent the country at the highest level.”
Razzak was the first Bangladesh bowler to pick up 200 ODI wickets and also has the second-most ODI five-wicket hauls.
In the domestic circuit, Razzak was second to none as he claimed 634 first-class wickets in 137 appearances. Razzak made an international comeback after a gap of four years, in 2018 and at the age of 35, to play against Sri Lanka in Dhaka which turned out to be his last international outing.
While Razzak, who is the one to enrich Bangladesh’s left-arm spin legacy, Shahriar Nafees was the first choice opener before Tamim Iqbal stormed into the circuit.
His defining innings came against an all conquering Australian side when he hit a 138-run knock in Fatullah Test in 2006, that went down as one of the best knocks in Bangladesh’s cricket folklore.
On the eve of retirement, Nafees thanked his family and his first coach Wahidul Gani.
“I would like to thank my wife and kids, my in-laws, as well my first coach Wahidul Gani. At the same time I must thank my supporters who have always encouraged me and the media who always inspired me to do things right,” said an emotional Nafees during his speech.
Following a below par performance in 2007 World Cup Nafees had lost his place in the team and in mid-2008 had joined the rebellious Indian Cricket League (ICL).
The BCB had then banned the players for ten years but only to be lifted in less than a year and allowed to return to the competitive cricket fold.
Nafees made a comeback to the national team in 2010 Bangladesh for a Test against India and since had 23 more appearances for the country in different formats including the 2011 World Cup.
Razzak, a left-arm spinner, played 13 Tests, 153 ODIs and 34 T20 Internationals, donning Bangladesh jersey.
Nafees played 24 Tests, 75 ODIs and one T20 International for Bangladesh. He hit one Test century, and also had four centuries in ODI cricket.