Vidarbha batsman Faiz Fazal, who represented India in 1 ODI match, announced his retirement from professional cricket. Fazal retired as Vidarbha’s leading scorer in List A cricket and is the only batsman to have played more than 100 first-class matches for his national team. Fazal scored a half-century in his only appearance for India and played 55 innings*.
Faiz Fazal was also chosen as a substitute opener for many Test series and never got a chance to play red ball cricket for the Indian team. Fazal shared a post on Instagram after Vidarbha’s 2023-24 Ranji Trophy 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 pitch for the last time, where my journey in first-class cricket began 21 incredible years ago. “It has been an unforgettable trip, full of precious memories that I will cherish forever.”
Faiz Fazal further mentioned that representing India and Vidarbha has been the greatest honor of his life and he feels proud to wear both jerseys. He wrote: “Representing the Indian cricket team and Vidarbha has been the greatest honor of my life, and putting on those cricket jerseys has always filled me with immense pride. Goodbye to my beloved number 24 shirt: you will be deeply missed.”
He also expressed his sincere gratitude to all his teammates, coaching staff, outfielders and others who have played an important role in shaping his career. He concluded that saying goodbye to Vidarbha has filled him with many emotions and he hopes to embrace new adventures in life.
He wrote: “A heartfelt thank you to all my teammates, coaches, physiotherapists and trainers,” and a special mention to the groundskeepers, family, friends and supporters who have been my pillars of strength throughout this extraordinary journey. As one chapter closes, another awaits, and while saying goodbye to my professional cricket career fills me with mixed emotions, I look forward to embracing the new adventures that await me.”
Faiz Fazal has represented Vidarbha in 137 first-class, 113 List A and 66 T20. Fazal has scored 9183 runs in red ball format with 24 hundreds and 39 half-centuries. He also has a decent record in the domestic 50-over format and has scored 3641 runs with 10 centuries and 22 fifties. Fazal has scored 1273 runs in T20 with four half-centuries.
Faiz Fazal also led Vidarbha in 53 first-class games, followed by 36 games in List A matches and 27 times in T20. He became the first Indian player to make his international debut when he was in his thirties and also the only Indian batsman to score a half-century in just ODI appearances.
Faiz Fazal could not end his professional career on a high note as he ended up scoring 1 and 0 in his last match against Haryana. Fazal is one of the legends of Vidarbha cricket and has played an important role in the formation of the team. Apart from Fazal, players like Saurabh Tiwary and Varun Aaron also announced their retirement from first-class and red-ball cricket.