Wasim Jaffer announces retirement from all forms of cricket
Veteran batsman Wasim Jaffer announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Saturday. The 42-year-old made his first-class debut during the 1996-97 season and also represented India in 31 Tests and two ODIs.
Jaffer last played an international match for India against South Africa in 2008. However, he had been highly active in domestic cricket since then playing for Mumbai and then for Vidarbha. He is also the highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy history.
After 25 years of playing professional cricket, time has come to say goodbye. Thank you @BCCI @MumbaiCricAssoc, VCA, my teammates, media and fans. This is my official statement. pic.twitter.com/xP3wL4u70s
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) March 7, 2020
“A special thanks to all my coaches, right from my school days to professional cricket, for helping me polish my skills,” Jaffer said in a statement announcing his retirement.
“A heartfelt thanks to the selectors who showed faith in me. My gratitude to all the captains I played under and all my colleagues from whom I learnt so much about the game and shared some lifelong memories. I would also like to thank all the support staff who were a constant pillar of support in my long journey. Thank you to the BCCI, Mumbai Cricket Association and Vidarbha Cricket Association for giving me the opportunity to represent them,” Jaffer said.
“My father wanted one of his sons to represent India and I feel proud to have fulfilled his dream. After all these years in cricket, it is time to move on. But just like the red ball format which is very dear to me, it’s the end of only the first innings. I am looking forward to the second innings in any capacity, be it in coaching, commentary etc. As long as I stay involved with the game as this game has given me so much,” he said.
Jaffer amassed a total of 19410 runs in 260 first-class games at an outstanding average of 50.67. That shows how consistent he was as a batsman. These runs included 57 hundreds and 91 fifties as well with 314 being the highest score.
He also became the first player to feature in 150 Ranji matches last year. As a captain, Jaffer had led Mumbai to their 38th and 39th Ranji title as well.