Mumbai: Veteran opener Wasim Jaffer has announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket on Saturday. Jaffer, who had made his first-class debut in 1996-97, played 31 Tests, 2 ODIs for India. Wasim Jaffer, who played his last match for India in 2008 against South Africa, is also the highest run-scorer in the history of Ranji Trophy.
Jaffer played 260 first-class games, amassing 19,410 runs at a staggering average of 50.67. In his first-class career, Jaffer scored 57 hundreds and 91 fifties with 314 being his highest score.
“A special thanks to all my coaches, right from my school days to professional cricket, for helping me polish my skills,” Jaffer said in a statement announcing his retirement.
“A heartfelt thanks to the selectors who showed faith in me. My gratitude to all the captains I played under and all my colleagues from whom I learnt so much about the game and shared some lifelong memories. I would also like to thank all the support staff who were a constant pillar of support in my long journey. Thank you to the BCCI, Mumbai Cricket Association and Vidarbha Cricket Association for giving me the opportunity to represent them,” Jaffer said.
“My father wanted one of his sons to represent India and I feel proud to have fulfilled his dream. After all these years in cricket, it is time to move on. But just like the red ball format which is very dear to me, it’s the end of only the first innings. I am looking forward to the second innings in any capacity, be it in coaching, commentary etc. As long as I stay involved with the game as this game has given me so much,” he said.
Wasim Jaffer led Mumbai to its 38th and 39th Ranji title. Last year, he became the first player in Indian cricket to feature in 150 Ranji matches.
