All-rounder Irfan Pathan has announced his retirement in all forms of cricket. Pathan announced his decision of retiring during the show on India cricket’s official broadcasters. The talented sportsperson ended an injury-ridden career that prevented him from realizing his true potential. The 35-year-old’s last played a competitive game in February 2019 during Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy for Jammu and Kashmir. His decision of hanging his boots was expected as he had not put his name in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction pool in December.
Irfan said during a show on Star Sports, “I am announcing retirement from all forms of cricket. I have been fortunate to share the dressing room with greats of the game like (Sourav) Ganguly, (Rahul) Dravid and (VVS) Laxman. I am calling time on my career.”
He added, “I would like to thank my family for providing much-needed support. I would like to thank my fans. They have always hoped for my comeback. Their support has kept me going.”
Pathan has featured in 29 Tests (1105 runs and 100 wickets), 120 ODIs (1544 runs and 173 wickets) and 24 T20 Internationals (172 runs and 28 wickets). He was also a part of the victorious Indian team at the 2007 World Twenty20 and was the man-of-the-match in the final against Pakistan.
One of his best performances came on the tour of Pakistan in 2006 when he became the second Indian after Harbhajan Singh to take a Test hat-trick, removing Salman Butt, Younis Khan, and Mohammad Yusuf during the Karachi game.
But injuries and lack of form troubled him thereafter and his ability to swing the ball deteriorated. He has been busy with commentary stints and role as an analyst with television broadcasters. In April last year, Irfan Pathan joined Jammu and Kashmir Ranji Trophy team as coach-cum-mentor.
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