In a surprising news coming from Pakistan cricket, Imad Wasim, the 34-year-old all-rounder has decided to retire from international cricket. The bowling all-rounder announced his decision on his X handle, where he thanked PCB and all his teammates along with fans for their support throughout his international career.
In a post on his X handle he wrote & admitted that he had been contemplating his future in international cricket over the last few days. “Each of my 121 appearances across the ODI and T20I formats was a dream come true,” he said in a statement. It’s an exciting time for Pakistan cricket going forwards with new coaches and leadership incoming.”
“Thank you to the Pakistan fans for always supporting me with such passion. A final thank you to my family and friends who have been so important in helping me achieve at the highest level. I now look forward to focussing on the next stage of my playing career away from the international stage.”
Imad was left-arm orthodox spinner and a left-handed batter who was known for his accuracy with the ball and power-hitting with the bat. He was part of Pakistan’s 50-over World Cup squad in 2019 and played T20 World Cups in 2016 and 2021. The left-arm spinner was also part of Pakistan’s victorious 2017 Champions Trophy campaign and was the captain of Pakistan team in the 2008 U-19 World Cup.
Wasim only played white-ball cricket for Pakistan senior side though, and made his ODI and T20I debut in 2015.
Imad Wasim’s International Career
Imad Wasim played 55 ODIs, where he scored 986 runs at a very good average of 42.86 while he picked up 44 wickets with the ball in hand. In T20Is, he has 65 wickets in 66 matches, while with the bat he could score only 486 runs at an average of 15.18. Wasim last played ODI game for Pakistan in 2020 against Zimbabwe, while his last T20I, came against New Zealand in 2023 at Rawalpindi.
However, Imad Wasim has excelled in T20 franchise cricket over the years. He is a regular in T20 leagues around the world and has played 31 T20 games in his career so far. He is set to add more games to this number as he has announced retirement from only international cricket and will continue to ply his trade in T20 leagues across the world.
Pakistan allrounder Imad Wasim has announced his retirement from international cricket. The 34-year-old, who has represented Pakistan 121 times in white-ball cricket, last played a game for the national side in April this year against New Zealand in a T20I.
Imad made his debut for Pakistan in a T20I in May 2015 and went on to make his ODI bow just two months later. Over the years, he developed a reputation for being very miserly with the ball especially in the shortest format and was a handy hitter lower down the order. The left-hander was a part of the team that won the Champions Trophy in England in 2017 and has also captained the side in a couple of ODIs.
Imad, now 34, was part of Pakistan’s Under-19 World Cup-winning side in 2006 and went on to lead Pakistan in the next edition, in 2008. He had to wait till 2015 for a Pakistan debut, in a T20I against Zimbabwe in Lahore. This was when international cricket returned to Pakistan six years after the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. He represented Pakistan in the T20 World Cup that followed, in 2016. In 2019, he captained Pakistan, in two ODIs against Australia in Dubai, when regular captain Shoaib Malik was out with an injury.
In all, he took 44 wickets and scored 986 runs in ODIs. In T20Is, he took 65 wickets and scored 486 runs. His best performance with the ball, incidentally, is identical in both formats – 5 for 14.
Imad is currently in Karachi Kings’ roster for the PSL, and recently played in the Hundred, the CPL and the LPL as well. He has also been a regular in the English county circuit. In fact, born in Swansea in Wales, he played his early cricket in the UK.