Kainat Imtiaz retires from international cricket to become match referee

Pakistan fast bowler Kainat Imtiaz announced her retirement from international cricket after a 13-year career. She represented Pakistan in 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is between October 2010 and January 2023, taking 10 ODI wickets and eight T20I wickets.

Imtiaz has already begun officiating as a match referee, working at the PCB National Women’s Under-19 T20 Tournament in Karachi in August and September. Her mother, Saleema Imtiaz, became the first Pakistani woman umpire appointed to the ICC’s International Development Panel and has officiated in nine women’s ODIs and 69 women’s T20Is.

Imtiaz was part of Pakistan teams that won gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games. She also represented the country at the 2017 ODI World Cup, the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2022 Asia Cup. Aiman Anwar made a similar transition to match officiating after retiring from international cricket in August.