Kainat Imtiaz retires at 34 to become match referee
Kainat Imtiaz retires at 34 to become a match referee like her mother Saleema Imtiaz, the first Pakistani woman on the ICC International Development Panel.
Pakistan fast bowler Kainat Imtiaz has retired from international cricket at the age of 34 to pursue a career as a match referee. She represented Pakistan in 19 ODIs and 16 T20Is between October 2010 and January 2023, scoring 134 runs and taking 10 wickets in the longer format.
Her mother, Saleema Imtiaz, became the first Pakistani woman umpire on the ICC International Development Panel. Kainat has already officiated matches in the PCB National Women's Under-19 T20 Tournament in Karachi in August and September. Aiman Anwar made a similar transition in August.
Kainat was part of Pakistan teams that won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games. She also played in the 2017 ODI World Cup, the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2022 Asia Cup.
CricHubb Take
The transition of players like Kainat and Aiman into officiating roles creates a pipeline of former players who understand the demands of international cricket from both perspectives.