Cricket / Yusuf Pathan retires from all forms of cricket aged 38

Cricket Desk: India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan has decided to retire from all forms of the game. He played 57 One-Day Internationals and 22 T20Is for India and was known to be an impact player in the blue jersey. Unfortunately, Yusuf fell out of favour of the selectors after 2012 and since then, never played international cricket. However, the strongly built batsman kept the spectators entertaining in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Yusuf Pathan’s 37-ball century in the IPL 2010 season against Mumbai Indians is still the second-fastest in the history of the tournament and the fastest among Indians. He last played in the Indian T20 extravaganza in 2019 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad but once he was released by the franchise, the all-rounder didn’t find any takers in the auction ahead of the 2020 season.

During his stint with team India, Yusuf Pathan was a genuine all-rounder and starred with bat and ball both. He delivered multiple impact performances in either helping the team post above-par totals with scintillating hitting or picking wickets at crucial situations with his canny off-spin bowling. Not many have still forgotten his match-winning partnership with his brother Irfan Pathan in a T20I against Sri Lanka.

Overall, Yusuf scored 810 runs in 41 ODIs innings batting mostly as a finisher at an average of 27 with three fifties and two centuries, and also picked 33 wickets. In 18 T20I innings, he mustered 236 runs at a brilliant strike-rate of 146.58 and also accounted for 13 scalps with the ball.

“I officially announce retirement from all forms of the game. I thank my family, friends, fans, team, and the whole country wholeheartedly for all the support and love. I am sure you will continue to encourage me in future as well,” he said.

An amazing IPL career

Overall in the IPL, Yusuf Pathan featured in 174 matches and amassed 3204 runs at an impeccable strike rate of close to 143 with 13 half-centuries and one century. He also picked 42 wickets while not going for more than 7.4 runs per over. The all-rounder also won the IPL thrice, in 2007 with Rajasthan Royals and in 2012 and 2014, while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders and it goes without saying that he played a crucial role for his teams every time.

As far as his domestic career is concerned, Yusuf played 100 FC, 199 List A, and 274 T20 matches while scoring more than 14000 runs while also picking more than 400 wickets across formats. Yusuf Pathan, meanwhile, will now be featuring in the upcoming Road Safety World Series for India Legends starting from March 5.