Shahbaz Nadeem retires: Jharkhand spinner hangs up his boots after playing 2 Tests for India
Spinner Shahbaz Nadeem has retired from all forms of international cricket. Now, he wants to play in T20 leagues worldwide. Nadeem took 542 wickets in his first-class career and played two Tests for India.
His Test debut was in 2019 when he was 30 years old. The Jharkhand spinner was called in place of Kuldeep Yadav. During the Ranchi Test against South Africa, Shahbaz took 2 wickets for 22 in the first innings and 2 wickets for 18 in the second innings.
India won that match by an innings and 202 runs after India had put up 497/9, thanks to Rohit Sharma’s double-hundred and Ajinkya Rahane’s century.
It took him two more years to play his second Test match, which was also the last time he played for India. In the Test match against England in 2021, Shahbaz Nadeem bowled for 44 overs to take 2 wickets for 167 in the first innings. In the second, he took 2 for 66.
“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, then you always keep pushing yourself to perform well,” Nadeem told ESPNcricinfo.
“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,” he added.
The most memorable moment of his career was when he was named Player of the Match in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final in 2010-11 when Jharkhand emerged as the winner.
‘No one takes the Jharkhand team lightly now’
“I always keep emotions aside while taking decisions. I have been playing with the Jharkhand team for 20 years…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 get trophies in the future,” Nadeem said.
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Published: 06 Mar 2024, 07:37 AM IST
