Pakistani cricketer Imran Farhat announced on Tuesday that he had retired from all forms of professional cricket.
Taking to Twitter, the left-handed batsman thanked everyone for their prayers and wishes, saying that “all good things in life come to an end”.
Farhat spoke how excited he was 26 years ago when he put the green shirt for the first time.
Imran Farhat tweeted “Today I played last match as a professional cricketer. All good things in life come to an end; I have really enjoyed this journey and I specially want to thank everyone who has supported,”
The 38-year-old, who hails from Lahore, has played for a number of teams apart from Pakistan, which includes Biman Bangladesh, Habib Bank Limited, ICL Pakistan XI, Lahore, Lahore Badshahs, Lahore Eagles, Lahore Lions and the Pakistan Reserves.
He played 40 Test matches for Pakistan, scoring 2,400 runs which included three 100s and fourteen 50s, averaging 32.00.
He scored 1,719 runs from a total of 58 ODIs, scoring a single century and 13 half-centuries, averaging 32.69.
Farhat scored more than 15,000 runs in 230 First-Class matches where he scored 38 centuries and 17 half-centuries.
Speaking about his retirement, he said: “It is certainly an emotional moment for me to retire from the game which I have loved and have been passionate about since childhood. It has been an honour for me to don Pakistan colours, something which every youngster in this country dream about. There have been highs and lows in my career, which is natural, but the fact that I got to get on the field for almost two and a half decades is something I will cherish forever.”
Domestic career
Farhat made his senior debut aged 15 in a one-day match for Karachi City against Malaysia. He scored 494 runs in ten matches in the 2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam trophy. He scored 744 runs in 11 matches in the 2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. In September 2019, he was named in Balochistan’s squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament. He became captain of Balochistan in January 2021 for the 2020-21 Pakistan Cup.