Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket with immediate effect.
Making his international debut in 2003 for India, Irfan played professional cricket for 16 years. Despite not featuring in an international match since 2012, Irfan played domestic cricket until February 2019.
Announcing his retirement on social media, he thanked his family, coaches, teammates and fans for their endless support.
Thank you all for making this journey most memorable.Wanted to Thank all the coaches & team mates.After my family,my fans have been my biggest strength! Thank u for not leaving me in my tough times.. #IrfanPathanRetires pic.twitter.com/axV3QvdO3p
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 4, 2020
His first match for the national team was against Australia in Adelaide, 2003 where he caught the attention of the world with his ability to swing the ball both ways. Pathan’s last game was for Jammu and Kashmir in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament against Kerala in February 2019.
Till date, Irfan is the only bowler to pick up a hattrick in the first over of a Test match. Other than his bowling, Irfan’s batting ability was a big boost to India’s team balance. Since his last match in February 2019, Irfan has been busy with commentary stint and his role as an analyst with television broadcasters. In April 2019, he became the Jammu and Kashmir Ranji Trophy team’s coach and mentor.
At the age of 35, the all-rounder has represented India in 29 Tests, 120 ODI and 24 T20I. Known for his ability to swing the ball sharply, Irfan picked 301 wickets across formats. He was a handy batsman too, making 1105 runs in Tests at an average of above 31 and 1544 runs in ODI with an average of 23.39.
Good luck for this second innings Irfan!
