Raees Ahmadzai announces retirement

Raees Ahmadzai, who was part of Afghanistan's dream run from Division Five to the World Twenty20, has retired from the game in order to focus on developing the next line of Afghan cricketers.

"Thanks for all the supportive messages. I have retired in order to focus on developing the younger generation of Afghan cricketers," read the 25-year old middle-order batsman's Twitter feed, yesterday.

Ahmadzai has played a handful of international fixtures, averaging close to 30 in both ODIs and T20Is. He was however, not able to make an impression in the World Twenty20, managing nine runs in Afghanistan's matches against South Africa and India. His departure will leave a void in the inexperienced Afghanistan line-up as they face up for tougher challenges.