Asad Shafiq retires from all forms of cricket after stating 'not feeling the same passion' anymore

Asad Shafiq skippered the Karachi Whites to a nine-run win over Abottabad in Pakistan's domestic T20 tournament but endured a difficult season with the bat, managing just 171 runs in 13 outings. In the post-match press conference, he declared his decision to retire with little chance of returning to the national side. 

“I am not feeling the same excitement and passion playing cricket and neither do I have the same fitness levels required for international cricket. Which is why I have decided to say goodbye to all cricket,” he was quoted saying by ICC.

Shafiq had made his Pakistan debut in an ODI against Bangladesh in June 2010 and while he wore the green jersey in 60 games scoring 1,336, it was red-ball cricket that was his true calling. He broke through to the Test lineup against South Africa later in the same year and remained a mainstay for the next decade, accumulating 77 caps and scoring 4,660 runs at an average of 38.19. Shafiq was a key player in the side that rose to the top of the Test rankings in 2016 under Misbah ul Haq's captaincy, passing Gary Sobers for most centuries at number six in the process which remains a record. The right-hander eventually finished his career with 12 tons and 27 half-centuries, playing his last international fixture against England in Southampton in 2020 before being dropped for a series of low scores.