Former Pakistan captain Javeria Khan retires from international cricket

Staff Report

 LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Javeria Khan has retired from international cricket, bringing the curtain down on a career of just under 16 years at the highest level. She bows out after playing 228 white-ball matches for Pakistan and scoring 4903 runs across the two formats. “There was joy and sorrow, but above all a sense of great pride that kept me going for 15 years,” Javeria, 35, wrote in a social media post. “The privilege of wearing Pakistan’s jersey was way bigger than the odds that struck through my cricketing journey. I am blessed to have lived my life doing what I loved doing the most and will continue to do so. “Now when I look back, it gives me great satisfaction to see that the path that my friends and I chose to walk on was least trodden when I started playing professionally but is now open for so many girls in Pakistan.” Javeria made her ODI debut in 2008 and played the ODI World Cups in 2009, 2013 and 2017. She also played just the one game ––– against India in Mount Maunganui ––– in the 2022 edition after going through a low phase form-wise. She was also out of Pakistan’s T20I side for 15 months before making a comeback in November 2022, and then played the T20 World Cup in 2023, her last outing for Pakistan. She played all the previous editions of the competition, too.

“Things change, scripts change and new paths beckon,” Javeria wrote. “There is a time for everything, and now I believe is the best time to call it a day and announce my retirement. However, I’ll be available to play league cricket. I will always be grateful to Pakistan for letting me hold Pakistan’s flag globally.” Javeria led Pakistan in 16 T20Is ––– including at the T20 World Cup in 2018 and two matches of the 2020 edition when Bismah Maroof was injured. She also captained 17 times in ODIs and finished second in the list of highest run-scorers for Pakistan in both the white-ball formats. “On behalf of the PCB and all cricket fans, I extend heartfelt gratitude to Javeria Khan for her invaluable contributions to women’s cricket in Pakistan,” Tania Mallick, PCB’s head of women’s cricket, said in a statement. “Her glittering records with the bat speak for themselves and I am confident that her illustrious career will inspire many girls in the country to not just take up this sport but also excel at it across many years.”