Asif Ali of Pakistan announces his international retirement but will continue to play domestic and franchise cricket.
Asif Ali, a batsman for Pakistan, has declared his intention to retire from international cricket. Asif, 33, primarily served as a middle-order finisher in 21 ODIs and 58 T20Is.
The seven-ball 25 he scored in a tight victory against Afghanistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup is probably his most famous knock. He is an aggressive batter.
“Wearing the Pakistan jersey has been the greatest honour of my life and serving my country on the cricket field has been my proudest chapter,” he said in a social media post.
Asif affirmed that he will keep playing cricket both domestically and in international franchise competitions.
After helping Islamabad United win the PSL that year, Asif made his T20I debut against the West Indies in April of that year. He did this by hitting three consecutive sixes at a crucial juncture in the chase in the final. An ODI debut came two months later.
However, Asif was considered a bit of a revolution for Pakistani cricket in his prime. Asif was pushed into both white-ball teams at a time when they were lacking in true power batters. However, Pakistan’s administration and selection staff occasionally misinterpreted his own style of play.
In ODI cricket, he was primarily a finisher and frequently entered at number six, considerably earlier than was appropriate for his skill level. Over the course of his 58-match career in T20Is, he averaged just over seven balls per innings and went over a quarter of his innings without losing, which suggested he had entered the game too late and had been underutilised overall.
But it was Asif’s few appearances that yielded the most captivating moments. He hit four sixes off Karim Janat’s 19th over to guarantee Pakistan’s passage to the semifinals of the 2021 T20 World Cup against Afghanistan, where Pakistan needed 24 runs from the last two overs.
“I retire with immense gratitude, and will continue to share my passion for the game by playing domestic and league cricket worldwide,” Asif said.