Veteran left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who has taken over 500 wickets in first-class cricket, has announced his retirement from international cricket. Nadeem last played a first-class match against Rajasthan in the current Ranji Trophy season. After retiring, he plans to participate in various Twenty20 leagues around the world.
“I was considering my retirement for a long time and now I have decided that I am retiring from all three formats. I always felt that when you have some motivation then you keep motivating yourself to perform well. However now that I know that I may not get a chance in the Indian team, so, it is better that I give a chance to the young cricketers. Now I am also planning to play in T20 leagues around the world,” Nadeem told ESPN Cricinfo.
Nadeem played two Tests for India, making his debut against South Africa in Ranchi in October 2019, where he took four wickets. He also played one Test against England in 2021. He appeared in 72 IPL matches with the Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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"I always feel that no decision should be taken emotionally," Nadeem said. "I have been playing with the Jharkhand team for 20 years. Even though we haven't won the Ranji Trophy, we have built a strong team. Today, no one takes the Jharkhand team lightly in domestic cricket. I am confident that the young players will win big trophies for our team in the future."
Nadeem was the leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy in 2015-16 and 2016-17 and the 2018 Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he set a world record by taking eight wickets for just 10 runs against Rajasthan, the best bowling performance in a first-class innings. He played for India A from 2013 to 2020 and took 83 wickets. Nadeem is the eighth-highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy, with a total of 542 wickets in 140 matches at an average of 28.86. He also has 175 wickets in List A cricket and 125 wickets in Twenty20.
