Irfan’s retirement, confirmed in a post on X, formerly Twitter, won’t trouble Pakistan significantly, his last appearance having come more than five years ago. The 42 year old has been active in domestic cricket since then, recently representing Khan Research Laboratories in the President’s Cup, a Pakistani List A competition.

The lanky left-armer, thought to be the tallest international cricketer of all time, represented his country 86 times across Tests, ODIs and T20Is, forming a key part of their pace arsenal in the early to mid 2010s. Capable of generating high speeds with his enormous frame, Irfan was a tough proposition for even the best batting line-ups on his day. However, injuries took their toll - notably, his 2015 World Cup campaign was curtailed by a pelvis stress fracture - as did disciplinary issues, the quick serving a six-month ban for failing to report an approach from a bookmaker in 2017.

He claimed 109 wickets across formats for Pakistan, with one Player of the Match award coming against South Africa in a 2013 ODI at Centurion. He claimed four wickets on that day in a six-wicket win, dismissing Graeme Smith, Colin Ingram, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis in a fiery new-ball spell. Irfan’s T20I debut was also a memorable one, coming on a rare Pakistan bilateral tour of India. He dismissed Virat Kohli in a miserly spell, helping his side to a five-wicket win with two balls to spare. Since his days as a Pakistan regular ended, Irfan has featured in T20 cricket around the world, notably bowling 23 dot balls in a four-over Caribbean Premier League spell in 2018.

“I have decided to retirement from international cricket,” Irfan said. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to my teammates, coaches,Thank you for the love, the cheers, and the unforgettable memories.and I will continue to support and celebrate the game that has given me everything”

I have decided to retirement from international cricket.I want to express my deepest gratitude to my teammates, coaches,Thank you for the love, the cheers, and the unforgettable memories.and I will continue to support and celebrate the game that has given me everything🇵🇰 zindabad

— Mohammad Irfan (@M_IrfanOfficial) December 14, 2024

He is the third Pakistan cricketer to call it quits since the start of Friday, December 13. Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir are the other two retirees, each having already retired and unretired from the top level once before. Thus far, this is the only time Irfan has retired from international cricket.

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