T20 World Cup: In his farewell match, Afghanistan player Asghar Afghan gets guard of honour from Namibia

In his farewell match, former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan received guard of honour from players of Namibia during their match in Namibia on Sunday.

Asghar Afghan scored a crafty 23-ball 31(3×4, 1×6) in his last outing for Afghanistan.

Asghar was visibly emotional while speaking to the broadcasters.

“I want to give chance to youngsters. I think this is a good opportunity for that,” Afghan told the broadcaster.

When asked why he decided to retire in the middle of the tournament, he said: “Most people are asking me why now but it’s something I cannot explain. In the last match, we were hurt too much, and that’s why I decided to retire.”

“There are plenty of memories, it’s difficult for me, but I have to retire.”

Earlier today, former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan announced his retirement from all formats of the game after their T20 World Cup meeting with Namibia on Sunday, the country’s cricket board said on Twitter.

The 33-year-old Afghan – earlier known as Asghar Stanikzai – made his international debut in 2009 in a one-day game against Scotland in Benoni and has 2,424 runs from 114 games in the 50-over format at an average of 24.73.

He has scored 1,351 runs in 74 T20 internationals at an average of 21.79 and played in the team’s loss to Pakistan in the World Cup on Friday.

Afghan captained his country in their maiden test match in Bengaluru in 2018 and played six games in the game’s longest format, scoring 440 runs.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board said it welcomed and respected Afghan’s decision and thanked him for his service. “It will take a lot of hard work for young Afghan cricketers to fill his shoes.