Afghanistan’s legendary allrounder Mohammad Nabi has announced that he will retire from One Day Internationals (ODI) cricket after the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. This decision was confirmed by Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) chief executive Naseeb Khan on Friday.
Nabi, who made his ODI debut for Afghanistan against Scotland in 2009, has been a key player for the team over the years. In 165 ODIs, he scored 3549 runs at an average of 27.30 and took 171 wickets, establishing himself as one of Afghanistan’s most valuable players in the format.
The 39-year-old has expressed his desire to step away from ODIs after the Champions Trophy, with plans to continue playing T20I cricket. According to Naseeb Khan, Nabi had informed the board several months ago about his decision, and the board fully supports his choice.
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Nabi has been in fine form recently, playing a key role in Afghanistan’s ODI series against Bangladesh. In the first match, he scored a crucial 82 runs to help his team set a competitive target, which was defended thanks to a six-wicket haul by Allah Ghazanfar.
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The allrounder previously retired from Test cricket in 2019, and his focus will now shift entirely to T20I cricket following his ODI retirement.