Vidarbha legend Faiz Fazal bids adieu to professional cricket, ends 21-year-old career

Vidarbha batsman Faiz Fazal who represented India in 1 ODI match has announced his retirement from professional cricket. Fazal retired as the leading run-scorer of Vidarbha in List A cricket and is the only batsman to play over 100 first-class games for his domestic team. Fazal scored a half-century in his only appearance for India and played an innings of 55*.

Faiz Fazal was also picked as a backup opener for many Test series as well he never received the opportunity to play red-ball cricket for the Indian team. Fazal shared a post on Instagram after Vidarbha‘s Ranji Trophy 2023-24 match against Haryana and announced his retirement from professional cricket.

Faiz Fazal announces retirement from professional cricket

Faiz Fazal wrote on Instagram, “Tomorrow marks the end of an era as I step onto the Nagpur ground for the last time, where my journey in first-class cricket began 21 incredible years ago. It’s been an unforgettable ride, filled with cherished memories that I’ll hold dear forever.”

Faiz Fazal further mentioned that representing India and Vidarbha has been the biggest honor of his life and he has felt proud by wearing both jerseys. He wrote, “Representing both the Indian Cricket Team and Vidarbha has been the greatest honor of my life, and donning those cricket jerseys has always filled me with immense pride. Farewell to my beloved Number 24 jersey – you’ll be deeply missed.”

He also expressed his heartfelt thank you to all his teammates, coaching staff, groundsmen, and other people who have played a major role in shaping his career. He concluded that saying goodbye to Vidarbha has filled him with a lot of emotions, and he is looking forward to embracing new adventures in life.

He wrote, “A heartfelt thank you to all my teammates, coaches, physios, and trainers, “and special mention to groundsmen”, family, friends, and supporters who’ve been my pillars of strength throughout this remarkable journey. As one chapter closes, another awaits, and while bidding adieu to my professional cricket career fills me with mixed emotions, I’m eagerly looking forward to embracing the new adventures that lie ahead.”

Faiz Fazal has represented Vidarbha in 137 first class, 113 List A, and 66 T20s. Fazal has scored 9183 runs in the red ball format with 24 hundreds and 39 half-centuries. He also has a decent record in the 50-over domestic format and has scored 3641 runs with 10 centuries and 22 fifties. Fazal has scored 1273 runs in T20s with four half-centuries.

Faiz Fazal has also led Vidarbha in 53 first-class games followed by 36 games in List-A matches and 27 times in T20s. He became the first Indian player to make his international debut in his thirties and also the only Indian batsman to score a half-century in only ODI appearances.

Faiz Fazal was not able to end his professional career on a high note as he ended up scoring 1 and 0 in his final match against Haryana. Fazal is one of the legends of Vidarbha cricket and has played an important in shaping the side. Apart from Fazal, players such as Saurabh Tiwary and Varun Aaron also announced their retirement from first-class and red-ball cricket.