Pakistan finisher Asif Ali has announced his retirement from international cricket at 33 years of age. Asif, who last played for the senior side in the 2022 T20 World Cup, wraps up his career after featuring in just 21 ODIs and 58 T20Is.
In his short career, he built a reputation for himself as the country’s first proper finisher in many years, especially in T20Is. His 7-ball 25-run knock against Afghanistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup, laced with four gigantic sixes, was the kind of innings that truly captured who he was as a batter. Announcing his retirement, Asif said he will continue nurturing his passion for the game by playing franchise cricket across the globe.
“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 post on social media.
“To my fans, teammates, and coaches, thank you for your love, belief, and support through every high and low.”
Asif made his debut in the T20I series against West Indies in April 2018. He received a national call-up after a brilliant season with Islamabad United (IU) in the PSL earlier that year, where he steered them to the trophy with three sixes in the penultimate over of the final. He was soon drafted into the ODI side as well.
The following year, during the PSL, his infant daughter fell seriously ill while Asif was playing the tournament. Despite going through that turmoil, he ended the PSL with 281 runs at a strike rate of 182.
“To my family and friends, who stood with me in moments of joy and in the deepest of trials, including the loss of my beloved daughter during the World Cup, your strength carried me forward,” he said.
“I retire with immense gratitude, and InshaAllah will continue to share my passion for the game by playing domestic and league cricket worldwide.”
Another instance that cemented his reputation as one of Pakistan’s most prolific hitters was his match-saving blitz against India in the 2022 Asia Cup. Pakistan needed 26 runs from the final two overs, and Asif scored the bulk of those runs, taking 11 off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s over before sending an Arshdeep Singh delivery for a four straight over the bowler’s head in the last over.
But Asif couldn’t carry his form into the Tri-series and the T20 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia later that year. That, coupled with the fact that the role of a finisher is always balanced precariously on the edge of a precipice where much can go wrong, didn’t make things easier for him. He played his last game against India at the MCG, wheN Pakistan horribly bottled the match during the T20 World Cup.
He leaves behind numbers that highlight his hitting power. Asif has the second most sixes in the PSL despite facing fewer than half the balls the rest of the top five have played. He struck 94 maximums in just 792 deliveries, which means roughly one six every eight balls.
