LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Javeria Khan has retired from international cricket, bringing the curtain down on a career at the highest level of less than 16 years. She retired after playing 228 white-ball matches for Pakistan and scoring 4903 runs across the two formats.
“There was joy and sadness, but above all a feeling of great pride that has kept me going for 15 years,” wrote 35-year-old Javeria in a post on the social network. “The privilege of wearing the Pakistan jersey was much greater than the chance that came my cricketing journey. I am blessed to have lived my life doing what I love to do the most and will continue to do so.”
“Looking back now, it gives me great satisfaction to see that the path my friends and I took was the one less trodden when I started playing professionally, but is now open to so many girls in Pakistan.”
Javeria made her ODI debut in 2008 and played ODI World Cups in 2009, 2013 and 2017. She also played a single match in 2022 – against India at Mount Maunganui, after going through a low phase of form. She was also out of Pakistan’s T20I squad for 15 months before returning in November 2022, before playing the T20 World Cup in 2023, her last trip to Pakistan. She also played all previous years of the competition.
“Things change, scripts change and new paths beckon,” Javeria wrote. “There is a time for everything and I believe now is the best time to call it quits and announce my retirement. However, I will be available to play league cricket. I will always be grateful to Pakistan for allowing me to fly the Pakistan flag globally.”
Javeria has led Pakistan in 16 T20Is – including the 2018 T20 World Cup and two matches of the 2020 edition when Bismah Maroof was injured. She has also captained 17 times in ODIs and finished second in the list of highest run-scorers for Pakistan in both white-ball formats.
“On behalf of the PCB and all cricket fans, I express my sincere 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 only take up the sport but excel in it for many years to come.”
