Ex-Pakistan cricketer urges star-all rounder Imad Wasim to reconsider retirement decision from international cricket

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has passionately appealed to Imad Wasim, the spin-bowling all-rounder, to reconsider his abrupt decision to retire from international cricket.

Imad Wasim’s surprising retirement decision

Imad, who officially declared the end of his international career on Friday, November 24, faced exclusion from Pakistan‘s ODI World Cup 2023 squad, with Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz getting the nod ahead of him. Despite showcasing good form in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2023, Imad found himself omitted from the squad, a decision that reportedly left the cricketer disheartened.

Imam’s impressive record for Pakistan

Imad boasts an impressive record, featuring in 55 ODIs and 66 T20Is for Pakistan, accumulating a total of 1472 runs while also clinching 109 wickets. The all-rounder played his final international match earlier this year in a T20I against New Zealand and was a vital part of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy-winning squad in 2017.

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Rashid Latif’s plea: Urging Imad’s return

Latif, expressing his views on the matter on social media platform X, labeled Imad as Pakistan’s “best spinner” and stressed the importance of his experience and versatile skills, urging him to reverse his retirement decision for the benefit of the national team.

“Imad Wasim should withdraw his retirement decision, Pakistan team’s best spin bowler is Imad, and can help a lot in batting. In the World Cup, if the most effective player of the team will not be there, it is not a loss for Imad, it is a loss for Pakistan. Mohammad Hafeez wants them to bring Imad back. If you want to play leagues, then separate from the central contract, but keep yourself available for the Pakistan team,” Latif wrote.

عماد وسیم کو ریٹائرمنٹ کا فیصلہ واپس لینا چائیے ، پاکستان ٹیم کا سب سے اچھا اسپن باولر عماد ہی ہے اور بیٹنگ میں بہت مدد مل سکتی ہے ۔ ورلڈ کپ میں اگر ٹیم کا سب سے کارآمد کھلاڑی نہیں ہو گا تو اس میں عماد کا نقصان نہیں اس میں پاکستان کا نقصان ہے ۔ محمد حفیظ کو چاہیے کے وہ عماد کو… pic.twitter.com/hmrIUPdAB0

— Rashid Latif | 🇵🇰 (@iRashidLatif68) November 25, 2023

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