Pakistani left-arm pacer Usman Shinwari, who represented the national cricket team between 2013 and 2019, has retired from international cricket at the age of 31. Shinwari had not played for the Pakistan national cricket team since 2019 and confirmed that he will no longer compete at the international level.
The left-arm pacer made his debut for Pakistan in T20Is against Sri Lanka in 2013. He also made his ODI and Test debuts against the same team. Usman took 34 wickets in 17 ODIs and 13 wickets in 16 T20Is. He played his only Test in December 2019, after which he was dropped and did not return to the team.
I Have Decided to Retire from International Cricket – Pakistan Pacer Usman Shinwari
Usman Shinwari had retired from Test cricket in 2021 to focus on limited-overs formats, but he was unable to make a return to Pakistan’s national side. Shinwari stated that he will continue playing league cricket.
“I have decided to retire from international cricket. As it has been an honor to represent Pakistan, but now it’s time to make way for the next generation. I will continue playing league cricket to stay connected with the game and my fans, whose love and support have meant everything to me,” Shinwari tweeted.
Usman Shinwari Reached Peak Performance in ODIs
Usman Shinwari was at his peak in ODIs, recording two five-wicket hauls against Sri Lanka. He took 5 wickets for 34 runs in Sharjah in October 2017, and 5/51 in Karachi in September 2019.
Shinwari first grabbed national attention at the age of 19 in 2013, when he dismantled Misbah-ul-Haq’s Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited side in the departmental T20 Cup final, taking 5/9 in 3.1 overs. He was fast-tracked into the Pakistan squad but could not replicate his form at the international level.
Shinwari became Pakistan’s T20I cap 58, ODI cap 216, and Test cap 240. He was also part of Pakistan’s squad for the 2018 ACC Men’s ODI Asia Cup. He last played in Pakistan’s National T20 Cup for Quetta Region but failed to take any wickets in four matches.
Pakistan Enter Asia Cup 2025 After the Tri-Series Win in UAE
Meanwhile, Pakistan enter the Asia Cup after a successful tri-series in the UAE, where they defeated both Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates to lift the trophy. The team has shown improvement under the leadership of Salman Ali Agha.
They underwent a transition period effectively despite missing big names like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Before the tri-series, Pakistan also secured a series win against the West Indies in T20Is.
Pakistan will begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against Oman on September 12. They will next take on India in their second match on September 14. Their final group-stage fixture is scheduled against the UAE on September 17, which will complete the round-robin matches for the team.