After 13 years in the sport, Pakistani right-arm fast bowler Kainat Imtiaz has announced her retirement from international cricket in order to start a new career as a match referee. She has already taken on that responsibility by overseeing the August and September PCB National Women’s Under-19 T20 competition in Karachi.
Kainat Imtiaz’s international career started in October 2010 when she played in a Twenty20 International against South Africa at Potchefstroom. At the time, she was one of the younger pace options in the Pakistani women’s team. The following year, she made her debut in the 50-over format when she faced Ireland in Fatullah. She played for Pakistan in 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is during the course of a ten-year career. She finished with 10 ODI wickets at an average of 51.40 and eight T20 international wickets at an average of 5.82 runs per over.
In January 2023, she played her final ODI match against Australia at the Gabba. Her last outing in the shortest format came when Pakistan played Thailand in the 2022 Asia Cup at Sylhet.
During her playing career, Kainat Imtiaz won some of the most prized awards in women’s cricket. She was a member of the Pakistani teams that won gold in the Asian Games in China in 2010 and South Korea in 2014. Her record encompasses several formats and significant multi-sport competitions. She also competed for the nation at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup.
Kainat Imtiaz entered the broadcasting industry after making her last international appearance, presenting and commenting at cricket competitions in Pakistan and beyond. Her concentrate on match officiating, which she has already started at the domestic level, has replaced that stage of her post-playing career.
Why is Kainat Imtiaz’s decision to become an official significant for Pakistani women’s cricket?
In a short period of time, Kainat Imtiaz is the second former Pakistani women cricket player to become a match referee. She followed in the footsteps of Aiman Anwar, who left international cricket in August, highlighting an increasing trend of seasoned players opting for administrative and officiating careers following retirement.
Also Read: Khaled Ahmed Sets Sights on Afghanistan Test After Kent Experience
The decision is especially important because of her family history. The first Pakistani woman umpire to be appointed to the ICC’s international development panel is her mother, Saleema Imtiaz. Few Pakistani officials can beat Saleema’s record of standing in nine women’s ODIs and 69 women’s T20Is. The family currently supports both the playing and administrative aspects of Pakistani women’s sports, which is quite uncommon at this level, thanks to Kainat Imtiaz’s introduction into officiating.
