‘Don’t know why he dragged it for so long’: Shoaib Akhtar says Dhoni should have retired after 2019 World Cup

“This guy has served to the best of his ability. He should leave cricket with dignity. I don’t know why he dragged it for so long. He should have retired after the World Cup,” Akhtar said.

Pakistan legend Shoaib Akhtar on Sunday said that former India skipper MS Dhoni should have retired after the 2019 World Cup. Speaking to news agency PTI, the former Pakistan speedster said that Dhoni could have played a farewell series after the World Cup and then called it quits. “This guy has served to the best of his ability. He should leave cricket with dignity. I don’t know why he dragged it for so long. He should have retired after the World Cup,” Akhtar said.

File imafe of MS Dhoni.(Getty Images)

“If I would have been in his place, I would have hung up my boots. I could have played shorter formats for three-four years but I left (after the 2011 WC) as I wasn’t into the game 100 per cent. So why drag?” he added.

Akhtar further added that India should allow the wicketkeeper to hang up his boots as deserves a nice send-off, but added that he seems “stuck” at the moment. “As a country, you should let him go with a lot of respect and dignity. Give him a nice send off. He has won you the World Cup and done wonders for India. He is a wonderful human being at the same time. But right now, he seems to be stuck,” he said.

“When he could not finish the game in the semifinal (against New Zealand). I felt he should have retired but he can only answer why he didn’t,” he said. “He should have played a farewell series after the World Cup may be and then said goodbye in a manner befitting his great stature.”

Dhoni, who has not played a competitive game since the World Cup semifinal in July, was preparing to make a much-anticipated comeback with the IPL, which is now unlikely to take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If he had done well in the IPL, there was a possibility of him playing the T20 World Cup in October-November. But with the tournament’s fate unclear, it seems unclear whether fans will get to see Dhoni return to cricket in an Indian jersey.

(With PTI inputs)