Yusuf Pathan Announces Retirement From All Forms Of Cricket

Former hard-hitting batsman Yusuf Pathan has bid adieu to all forms of cricket. Yusuf Pathan, who featured in 79 limited-overs internationals for India after debuting in 2007, has not played international cricket since 2012. The 38-year old took to his official Twitter handle and announced the news of the same and thanked all those who have supported him throughout.

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Yusuf Pathan debuted in the breathtaking tournament-decider of the 2007 ICC World T20 against Pakistan. While the right-handed batsman’s stay was brief, he slammed a four and a six, scoring 15 runs in eight balls, opening the innings with Gautam Gambhir. He made his maiden ODI appearance the year after that and emerged as a powerful lower-order batsman.

The Baroda all-rounder featured in 57 ODIs, managing 810 runs at 27 alongside two centuries and picking 33 scalps. He was also part of India’s team that won the 2011 World Cup squad at home and played a few fixtures before being dropped for Suresh Raina. But a poor run of form in white-ball cricket lead to his axing for never to get the nod again.

Yusuf Pathan was also an impactful player in the Indian Premier League, being part of multiple title victories. Pathan played 174 IPL matches, mustering 1415 runs while maintaining a strike rate of 142.97 alongside a century as well. He secured the man of the match award during the 2008 IPL final when he scored a crucial half-century for the Rajasthan Royals against the Chennai Super Kings to script a title victory.

He also went on to be part of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ two championship wins in 2012 and 2014, playing vital roles in their campaigns. From 2018 to 2019, the 38-year old played for the SunRisers Hyderabad; however, he could not produce compelling performances. He managed 260 and 40 runs in two years before the Orange Army decided to release him. Pathan’s 100 first-class games yielded 4825 runs at 34.46 and 201 wickets.

Below is Yusuf Pathan’s post on Twitter, announcing his retirement:

I thank my family, friends, fans, teams, coaches and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love. #retirement pic.twitter.com/usOzxer9CE

— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) February 26, 2021