Pakistan spinner Abdur Rehman retires from international cricket

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In yet another addition to the bulging list of farewells from the game this year, Pakistan's left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, aged 38, announced his retirement from international cricket. The 38-year-old last played a game for his country in 2014.

He debuted at the age of 26, and went on to play 22 Tests, 31 ODIs and 8 T20Is between 2006 and 2014. He first shot to fame back in 1999, with eye-catching performances for the U-19 side.

"It's a very difficult decision to retire from international cricket and I take it with a heavy heart," Rehman announced.

His breakthrough moment came against England when he snapped as many as 19 wickets during Pakistan's 3-0 sweep in 2012, in the UAE. He took a total of 99 Test wickets, and combined with off-spinner Saeed Ajmal to make a formidable combination on certain occasions, including the 2012 series.

The presence of Danish Kaneria early in his career, especially under the captaincy of Inzamam-ul-Haq, limited his international appearances, but he got better opportunities with Misbah-ul-Haq at the helm.

He picked up eight wickets on Test debut against South Africa, four in each innings.

He was also part of the 2011 World Cup side that reached the semi-finals, combining with Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez on subcontinent pitches.

Recalled after a gap of three years, he was also part of the 2010 World T20 side, where Pakistan were the defending champions, and went on to play a total of 8 T20Is in a career spread across six years, picking up 11 wickets.

He was also part of Somerset sporadically between 2012 and 2015, and was embroiled in controversy when he tested positive for banned substances during a random dope test during one of his stints with the English county.

Rehman will continue to play domestic cricket.

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