Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim retires after World Cup snub

Pakistan's white-ball all-rounder Imad Wasim announced his retirement from international cricket on Friday, after a snub in the 50-over World Cup.

The Wales-born 34-year-old was replaced by Mohammad Nawaz for the World Cup in India, from which Pakistan crashed out in the first round.

"In recent days I have been doing a lot of thinking about my international career and I have come to the conclusion that now is the right time for me to announce my retirement from international cricket," Imad wrote on X. 

A left-handed middle-order batsman and a quality left-arm spinner, Imad played 55 one-day internationals and 66 Twenty20 internationals for Pakistan.

He scored 986 runs in ODIs and 486 in T20Is. His tally of wickets was 44 in ODIs and 65 in the shorter format. 

He was remembered for a match-winning knock of 49 not out in Pakistan's hard-fought win against Afghanistan in Leeds during the 2019 World Cup.

But he has since lost his place in the side.

His last international match was a T20I against New Zealand this year, and he fell out with skipper Babar Azam.

Imad said it was an honour to play for Pakistan.

"I would like to thank the PCB for all for their support over the years - it has truly been an honour to represent Pakistan," Imad added in his statement, referring to the Pakistan Cricket Board.

"Each of my 121 appearances across the ODI and T20I formats was a dream come true. It's an exciting time for Pakistan cricket going forwards."

As a globe-trotting T20 league player, Imad is likely to focus on various non-international matches.

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