Imad Wasim achieves historic feat in T20 cricket

Staff Report

 LAHORE: Former Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim achieved another feat in the cricket history by completing 1,000 runs and taking 50 wickets in a calendar year in T20s. The 35-year-old added a new item to the list of his sporting achievements while debuting for Melbourne Stars in Big Bash League (BBL) Season 13 on Tuesday. He completed his 1,000 runs in T20 cricket after scoring 14 runs in ten balls and became the fourth cricketer to set the record after Kieron Pollard (2010), Azhar Mahmood (2012) and Andre Russell (2016). The all-rounder announced his retirement from international cricket, ending his over eight-year-long association with the national side last month. In his X, formerly Twitter, the 34-year-old stressed that it was the right time to end his stint as an international cricketer. “In recent days I have been doing a lot of thinking about my international career and I have come to the conclusion that now it’s the right time for me to announce my retirement from international cricket.”

The all-rounder, who hasn’t played for the Green Shirts in some months, thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for all its support provided to him over the years. Imad made his international debut in May 2015 against Zimbabwe and went on to represent Pakistan in 55 ODIs and 66 T20Is. He took 109 wickets and scored 1,472 runs in his international career. Imad has been a key member of the Pakistan team over the years and was part of the 2017 Champions Trophy-winning squad. He also played in the 2016 T20 World Cup, 2019 World Cup, and 2021 T20 World Cup. The all-rounder was also one of the best players in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 8 where the left-handed batter amassed 404 runs in 10 innings at an impressive 134.66 average and 170.46 strike rate while also taking nine wickets with the ball.