Pakistan speedster Kainat Imtiaz announces retirement from international cricket

Pakistan fast bowler Kainat Imtiaz has retired from international cricket after a 13-year career, the PCB confirmed. She represented Pakistan in 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is, won Asian Games gold medals, and has now begun a career as a match referee

New Delhi: Pakistan fast bowler Kainat Imtiaz announced her retirement from international cricket, drawing the curtains on a 13-year career, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Sunday. Kainat made her debut in 2010 in T20Is and her ODI debut in 2011.

She played her last match in 2023. The right-arm speedster was a vital part of Pakistan’s women’s squads in their gold medal wins in the Asian Games cricket event in 2010 and 2014. She was also with the Women in Green in the Commonwealth Games 2022 and also represented them in the 2017 ODI World Cup.

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Kainat, 34, has switched hats recently as she has begun her career as a match referee in the PCB National Women’s U19 T20 Tournament held in August and September. Her mother, Saleema Imtiaz also became the first Pakistani woman to be nominated to the ICC’s International Development Panel in 2024.

Kainat played 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is for the Women in Green. She has 10 wickets in 16 ODI innings with a best haul of 3-49. She took eight wickets in 12 T20I innings with a best haul of 2-18. She also used to chip in with the bat a bit, having made 134 runs in 13 ODI innings at an average of 11.16 with a best of 24. She made 137 runs in 17 T20I innings at 12.45 with a best of 29.

The speedster began her career in February 2007 when she played for Karachi Schools U17 in the PCB National Schools U17 Women’s Championship. She went on to make her List A debut in March 2008 and her T20 debut in July that year. Kainat won her first international cap in a T20I in 2010 during the ICC Women’s Cricket Twenty20 Challenge against South Africa.

She played her first ODI against Ireland in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in 2011. Her last T20I came against Thailand in Sylhet during the Women’s Asia Cup in October 2022, while Kainat last represented the Women in Green in the ODIs in January 2023 during Pakistan’s tour of Australia.