Domestic cricket legend Wasim Jaffer announces retirement from all forms of cricket

Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer
Indian domestic cricket legend Wasim Jaffer has announced his retirement from all forms of game(international and first-class cricket) on Saturday (March -7). Jaffer, who had made his first-class debut in 1996-97, played 31 Tests, 2 ODIs for India. Wasim Jaffer holds the record of highest run scorer in the history of Ranji Trophy.

Jaffer’s record in first-class games

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.

“Thank you to the BCCI, Mumbai Cricket Association and Vidarbha Cricket Association for giving me the opportunity to represent them,” Jaffer said in a statement.

Hardik Pandya who showed his glorious form in the T20 Patil cup match by hitting 20 sixes tweet on Wasim Jaffers retirement announcement.


“Among moments I will cherish the most is getting my India Test cap, scoring 202 vs Pakistan, 212 vs West Indies and winning Test series in West Indies and England 2006-07. I am honoured to have shared the dressing room with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni to name a few.

“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,” he said.

“My longest association was with the Mumbai team and it’s here that I learned about the khadoos nature of cricket that Mumbai players are known for,” said Jaffer, who also captained Mumbai to two title wins in the Ranji Trophy.

“Represented the 41-time Ranji champions from my under-16 days till 2014. Sanjay Manjrekar was my first captain. I feel privileged to have shared the Mumbai dressing room with Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, Zaheer Khan, Amol Muzumdar, Nilesh Kulkarni to name few. After becoming the captain in 2008, I hope I passed on some legacy to Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav, Aditya Tare and others,” he said.

“He [Sachin Tendulkar] was my role model. Feel really blessed to have watched him play from close quarters. In my opinion, he was one of the best players of that era along with Brian Lara.

“I would also like to thank Chandrakant Pandit for showing faith in me when no team showed any interest to have me as a professional for 2017-18 season. It is because of him I got a chance to play for Vidarbha again and create history of winning a Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup twice.

His second innings

Jaffer also states that he looks forward to involve in cricket other than playing “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.

 

 

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