Asad Shafiq, on Sunday (December 10), announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He announced his decision after leading Karachi to victory in the National T20 Cup final. Karachi defeated Abbottabad by nine runs to lift the title.
Shortly after finishing the match, Asad Shafique announced his retirement while speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony. The former Pakistan batsman said that he doesn’t have the same emotion as a player and that played a big role in his decision. He also stated that he expected the Pakistan team to retire him in recent years.
“I don’t have the same excitement and passion for playing cricket and I don’t have the same fitness levels required for international cricket. That’s why I have decided to say goodbye to cricket.” PTI quoted Asad Shafique during the post-match press conference.
“After being eliminated in 2020, I continued playing domestic cricket for three years in the hope of getting another chance in the Pakistan team. But before the start of this season I had decided that this would be my last season because I felt that as I was approaching 38 years of age, it was time to retire instead of people telling me to quit,” added the batter.
Asad Shafique was a key member of the Pakistan Test team after the spot-fixing scandal in 2010. He made his debut during the Hamilton Test against New Zealand in 2010 and went on to play 77 Tests for his country. His last appearance for Pakistan in Tests was in 2020 during the tour of England.
In 77 Tests, the right-handed batsman scored 4660 runs with the help of 12 centuries and 27 half-centuries. He also played 60 ODIs and 10 T20Is for his national team and scored more than 1500 runs with the help of 9 half-centuries in white-ball cricket.
Asad Shafique, ready to become national coach:
Asad Shafique also revealed that he is ready to become a national coach. After announcing his retirement, the former batsman revealed that he was in the process of signing a contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s PCB to become a national selector.
“I received the contract from the board and I am reviewing it and hope it will be processed soon.” he said.
“After the spot-fixing scandal in 2010, it was a very difficult time for Pakistan cricket and I am happy to have been a part of that process in which we regained people’s trust in our team.” he added.
A guard of honor for Karachi Whites captain Asad Shafiq 🫡#NationalT20 | #AajaMaidanMein pic.twitter.com/QgNTc6BX2F
– Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) December 10, 2023
