India's former Under-19 World Cup player and Assam's first representative before Riyan Parag in IPL announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on Saturday. The 34-year-old Assam fast bowler Abu Nechim, who was also a part of the title-winning squad of Mumbai Indians in 2013, shared the news through his social media.
Post on Instagram:
In a note posted on his Instagram account, the bowler said, " I would like to bring to your kind notice that I have come to the decision to step away from the sport and retire from all forms and levels of the game which I have loved very much. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the BCCI and Assam Cricket Association."
He further thanked IPL teams Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore and his family to support him in the journey.
"I would also like to thank the two IPL franchises Mumbai Indians and RCB for their support. It has been a wonderful journey of playing the sport and learning from every ups and downs that came up in the last 23 years at various and different levels. Finally, I would like to thank my family and all well-wishers who have been with me throughout this wonderful journey," He added.
Nechim and IPL:
A regular in Assam's senior team in domestic cricket, Nechim played for Mumbai Indians for four seasons from 2010 and was also a member of the 2013 IPL winning team. He was a member of Royal Challengers Bangalore from IPL 2014–16. Overall, he took 12 wickets in 17 IPL matches at an economy rate of 8.69, becoming the first player from Assam to be a part of the tournament.
Nechim's performance:
After making his first-class debut for Assam at the age of 17, Nechim played Under-19 cricket for India and took 4 wickets in the 2006 Men's Under-19 World Cup semifinal against England with his impressive swing bowling.
In domestic cricket, he has taken 172 wickets in 68 first-class matches, 65 wickets in 61 List-A matches, and 78 wickets in 80 T20 matches. The 34-year-old moved to Nagaland in his last season of domestic cricket and guided the team to the Elite Group of the Ranji Trophy, taking five wickets in a limited-over season.
