Former Pakistan skipper Javeria Khan announces retirement from international cricket
Former Pakistan captain Javeria Khan announced her retirement from international cricket on Thursday, March 21. The stalwart represented her country for 15 years and played 116 ODIs and 112 T20Is throughout her career.
Khan, who will turn 36 in May this year, captained her side in 17 ODIs and 16 T20Is. She was at the helm during Pakistan’s 2018 and 2020 T20 World Cup campaigns. Having represented the national team in 228 matches, Khan has 4903 runs, including two centuries and 25 fifties, and 28 wickets to her name.
The 35-year-old will end her international career as the second-highest run-scorer for her country (ODIs and T20Is) and only the second female Pakistan player, after Bismah Maroof, with more than 2000 runs in both white-ball formats of the game.
Javeria Khan was part of Pakistan’s four ODI World Cup campaigns, having represented the side in 2009, 2013, 2017 and the 2022 editions of the tournament. Additionally, she was a regular in Pakistan’s T20I setup and was part of the squad in all of their eight T20 World Cup campaigns since the tournament’s inception.
“I have been blessed to hold Pakistan’s flag globally”- Javeria Khan after announcing her retirement
Calling her time on an illustrious career, Javeria Khan, in a press release put out by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said:
"I want to call it a day and announce my retirement, however, I will be available for league cricket. I am grateful to the unwavering support I received throughout my career. I want to thank my family, teammates, the Pakistan Cricket Board, my department ZTBL for their support and guidance at each step, and my fans whose appreciation was instrumental in bringing out the best in me."
"I have been blessed to hold Pakistan’s flag globally," she added.
With the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup scheduled to be played later this year, Javeria Khan’s absence from the team will leave a huge void as Pakistan aim to clinch their maiden title. Given her contribution to the sport and her prolific numbers in the shortest format, it is going to be a task for the management to get a player of Khan’s caliber.