Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in India. The 34-year-old, who played two Tests for the national side, now aims to play in the T20 leagues around the world.
"I was considering this decision for a long time and now I have decided to retire from all three formats. I always feel that if you have some motivation [to play for India], then you always keep pushing yourself to perform well. However, now I know that I may not get a chance in the Indian team and so, it is better I give a chance to the young cricketers. I am also planning to play in T20 leagues around the world," Nadeem said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
Nadeem played for Jharkhand in the domestic arena and was part of 140 first-class games from 2004 until his last game in the ongoing Ranji Trophy against Rajasthan. He has picked 542 wickets in the format. Nadeem has also played two Test matches for India - one in 2019 against South Africa in Ranchi and the other against England in 2021 in Chennai. However, he did not get to play any limited-overs game for India.
He picked eight wickets in those two Tests including his best Test haul of 2/18. However, his domestic cricket numbers speak volumes of his success. Nadeem picked 542 wickets at 28.73 and had 28 fifers in his career.
"I always keep emotions aside while taking decisions. I have been playing with the Jharkhand team for 20 years. Even though we have not been able to win the Ranji Trophy, we have made a strong team that makes the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy or other domestic tournaments every two-three years. As a result, no one takes the Jharkhand team lightly now. I feel it is time to pass this task on to the young players, and I am sure they will trophies in the future," he added.
The spinner has been part of three franchises in the IPL. He played for Delhi Daredevils from 2011 to 2018. Nadeem was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2019 to 2021 and was part of the Lucknow Super Giants setup too when he was picked ahead of IPL 2022. But Nadeem did not get a game with LSG.
He has thanked his childhood coach, Imtiaz Hussain. "He is the person who taught me how to bowl. Even today I take advice from him about my bowling. I will also never forget how much S Rahman of Indigo Club helped me. Because of these people and my family, I have continued my journey on the cricket field for so many years," Nadeem said.
