Watch: England and Pakistan win hearts with awe-inspiring gestures after Azhar Ali finishes Test career with a duck

One of Pakistan's most successful Test batters and former captain, Azhar Ali, bid adieu to the format on Monday after he was dismissed for a four-ball duck on Day 3 of the ongoing third Test against England at the National Stadium in Karachi.

One of Pakistan's most successful Test batters and former captain, Azhar Ali, bid adieu to the format on Monday after he was dismissed for a four-ball duck on Day 3 of the ongoing third Test against England at the National Stadium in Karachi. After his dismissal on Monday, members of England and Pakistan side made an awe-inspiring gesture as he made his walk back to the pavilion one last time.

Azhar Ali was dismissed for a four-ball duck in his final Test innings

Moments after Jack Leach broke Pakistan's fifty-run opening stand with the dismissal of Shan Masood, he dismissed Azhar in the same over. It was a floaty delivery that Azhar had completely misread as it gripped and turned from middle to rattle against the off stump. Azhar became the 11th batter of the 21st century to score a duck in his final Test innings after Brian Lara, Neil McKenzie, Sourav Ganguly, Mohammed Yousuf, Tillakratne Dilshan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ian Bell, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, and Hashim Amla.

Azhar took a deep breath and made his way back to the dressing room. He was however stopped by the England players who patted him on his back and congratulated him on his career. The Pakistan players then gave him a guard of honour. Earlier in the day, he had received a signed shirt from his teammates as well.

Having made his debut against Australia at the Lord's in 2010, Azhar represented Pakistan in 96 Tests scoring 7097 runs at an impressive average of 42.49, and struck 19 centuries and 35 fifties.

“It has been a great honour and privilege for me to represent my country at the highest level,” Azhar said in a statement on Friday, 16 December. “Deciding on when to call it a day is always tough, but, after contemplating deeply, I realised that this is the right time for me to retire from Test cricket.

“There are many people who I am grateful to in this strenuous, yet beautiful journey. I want to make a special mention of my family without whose sacrifices; I would not have been where I am today. My parents, wife, siblings, and children have been my strength throughout,” he added.