Pakistan women’s cricketer Kainat Imtiaz has announced her retirement from international cricket after spending 13 years representing her country. The right-arm medium-fast bowler has decided to step away from playing but will remain closely connected with the sport, beginning a new career as a match referee.
Imtiaz announced her decision on Sunday, October 4, bringing the curtain down on an international career that included two Asian Games gold medals, a World Cup appearance and 40 international matches for Pakistan. She represented Pakistan in 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is.
Rather than describing her retirement as an exit from cricket, Imtiaz sees it as the beginning of another chapter. She has already taken her first steps into match officiating, working as a match referee during the PCB National Women’s U19 T20 Tournament held in August and September 2026.
From Karachi schools cricket to Pakistan
Kainat Imtiaz’s cricket journey began long before she received her Pakistan cap. She started playing for the Karachi Schools U17 team in February 2007 at the PCB National Schools U17 Women’s Championship.
She subsequently moved through domestic cricket and made her List A debut in 2008 before making her international breakthrough. In October 2010, she made her T20I debut against South Africa in Potchefstroom and became Pakistan women’s T20I cap number 22. Her ODI debut came the following year against Ireland in Fatullah, Bangladesh.
One of the most memorable aspects of her early career was the way she made her T20I debut. Imtiaz has recalled bowling a double-wicket maiden in her first international appearance, a moment she considers one of the favourite memories of her career.
Over the next 13 years, opportunities at international level came in spells, but she remained a familiar name in Pakistan’s women’s cricket setup and continued to contribute whenever selected.
Two Asian Games gold medals stand out
Among the biggest achievements of Kainat Imtiaz’s career are her two Asian Games gold medals.
She was part of Pakistan’s gold-medal-winning women’s cricket team at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Four years later, she was again part of the Pakistan squad that successfully defended the title at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
Pakistan defeated Bangladesh in the finals on both occasions, giving Imtiaz the rare distinction of being part of two consecutive Asian Games gold-medal-winning squads.
Those two medals are particularly significant because Asian Games cricket has not been held at every edition, making appearances and medals in the competition an important part of the history of women’s cricket in the region.
For Imtiaz, however, the medals were only part of a much bigger journey that also included representing Pakistan at the highest level across different international tournaments.
World Cup and Commonwealth Games appearances
Imtiaz was also part of Pakistan’s squad at the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. She featured in four matches during the tournament, giving her an opportunity to play on one of the biggest stages in women’s cricket.
She later represented Pakistan at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, adding another major multi-sport event to her international career.
Her final years as an international player were interrupted by limited opportunities, but she remained involved with Pakistan cricket. Her last T20I appearance came against Thailand in Sylhet in October 2022, while her final ODI was against Australia at the Gabba in January 2023.
Kainat Imtiaz’s international numbers
Imtiaz finished her Pakistan career with 40 international appearances — 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is. Across those matches, she contributed with both bat and ball, although her primary role was as a right-arm medium-fast bowler.
In ODIs, she took 10 wickets and scored 134 runs, while in T20Is she claimed eight wickets. Her international career therefore ended with 18 wickets across the two formats, according to the latest career figures reported following her retirement.
Her best ODI bowling performance was 3/49, while she also produced several useful spells during her international career.
The numbers may not tell the complete story of her contribution. Women’s cricket in Pakistan has undergone significant changes during the period in which Imtiaz played, and she was part of the national setup across more than a decade.
From player to match referee
The most interesting part of Kainat Imtiaz’s retirement is what comes next.
She has made it clear that she is not leaving cricket. After spending years playing the game, she is now moving towards match officiating. Her recent involvement as a match referee at the PCB National Women’s U19 T20 Tournament represents the first significant step in that direction.
Imtiaz has also previously spent time in commentary and presenting, showing that her ambitions within cricket extend beyond playing.
Her decision is especially meaningful because of her family connection to match officiating. Her mother, Saleema Imtiaz, made history in 2024 when she became Pakistan’s first woman umpire to be appointed to the ICC International Development Panel. Saleema has since officiated in women’s international matches, including nine ODIs and 69 T20Is, according to the PCB.
Kainat is therefore following a path that is already familiar within her family, but she is doing it in a different role.
“I am not leaving the field, just changing my role”
In her retirement message, Imtiaz thanked her coaches, teammates, Pakistan Cricket Board, fans and, particularly, her mother for the support she received throughout her career.
Her message also highlighted an important point for young women aspiring to work in cricket: playing is not the only way to build a career in the sport.
Her move into match officiating underlines how former players can use their experience in other areas of the game. From refereeing and umpiring to coaching, commentary, presenting and administration, the modern cricket ecosystem offers several career paths.
For Pakistan women’s cricket, having former players move into these roles could also prove valuable as the domestic women’s game continues to develop.
Kainat Imtiaz leaves international cricket with two Asian Games gold medals, a World Cup appearance, a Commonwealth Games appearance and four decades worth of international appearances — all built over a 13-year journey in the Pakistan jersey.
Her playing career may now be over, but her association with cricket is clearly not.
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