Indian Cricketer Irfan Pathan retires from all forms of cricket

One of India’s most prominent swing and seam bowlers Irfan Pathan announces his retirement from all forms of cricket.

“I am announcing retirement from all forms of cricket. I have been fortunate to share the dressing room with greats of the game like (Sourav) Ganguly, (Rahul) Dravid and (VVS) Laxman. I am calling time on my career,” Irfan said during a show on Star Sports.

“I would like to thank my family for providing much-needed support. I would like to thank my fans. They have always hoped for my comeback. Their support has kept me going,” he added.

Irfan Pathan retires from all forms of cricket

“I will keep contributing to Indian cricket, but it is always better if someone else takes my place in domestic cricket. There are lot of other things in store for me and I will keep focusing on them,” Pathan said about his future plans.

“It has been a great journey. I played cricket with all my heart and soul. I am really proud of it and when I look back, I feel happy with my achievements. It’s been a great career,” the pacer said.

Irfan, 35, has played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is for India in an international career that spanned nearly nine years beginning 2003. Known for his ability to swing the ball sharply, Irfan picked 301 wickets across formats. He was a handy batsman too, making 1105 runs in Tests at an average above 31 and 1544 runs in ODIs at 23.39.

He last played for India in a T20I in October 2012.