Saeed Anwar on brink of retirement

Saeed Anwar is set to bring an end to his international career after being overlooked for the forthcoming series against Bangladesh.

Anwar told the Press Trust of India that retirement was on his mind, but that he wanted to do so in a way that would be beneficial to Pakistan cricket. "I don't want to sever all my ties with cricket which has given me a lot of fame and wealth," said Anwar. "But the time has come to call it a day.

"I've enjoyed playing for Pakistan and it has always been a great honour for me to wear the national blazer," he added. "I relished the challenge of facing the world's fastest bowlers and scoring runs against them."

Anwar, 34, made his one-day international on New Year's Day 1989, and entered Test cricket two years later. In 55 Tests he scored 4052 runs at 45.52, including 11 hundreds, but he achieved global fame through his exploits in ODIs.

His defining innings was his 194 against India at Madras in 1997 - the highest score by any batsman in one-day cricket. He went on to score 8823 runs at an average of 39.21, with 20 hundreds. He was one of the few batting successes of Pakistan's disastrous 2003 World Cup campaign, but even his fine 101 against India at Centurion couldn't avert defeat.

Anwar's priorities in life altered in 2002, following the tragic death of his baby daughter, and he spent several months out of the game in the build-up to the World Cup. In its aftermath, however, he was one of eight players dropped from the squad as the rebuilding process began.