Asif Ali, a Pakistani batsman, has retired from international cricket. This decision comes just before the start of the Asia Cup 2025. Ali, who was a part of the Pakistan team in the 2022 Asia Cup, announced his retirement after being out of the team for a period. He made his debut in 2018 and played 79 matches for Pakistan across both ODI and T20 formats.
Ali, 33, shared the news on his social media on September 1st. He stated, “Today, I announce my retirement from international cricket. Wearing the Pakistan jersey has been the greatest honor of my life, and serving my country on the cricket field has been the most proud moment for me.” He also thanked his teammates, coaching staff, and fans.
Ali made his debut for Pakistan in T20 cricket in 2018, and then in ODIs later that year. He was recognized for his aggressive batting style, and he often got opportunities to play in the middle order and as a finisher, particularly in T20s. Despite this, he often struggled to perform consistently and meet the expectations.
Ali was not selected for the upcoming Asia Cup. He was a part of the Pakistan team at the 2022 Asia Cup in the UAE. Before that tournament, he claimed to hit 150 sixes daily during practice. While expectations were high, he only managed a match-winning performance against Afghanistan. Against India, he scored 25 runs off 15 balls across two matches. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, he scored only 2 runs against India.
Since his debut for the Pakistani team in 2018, Ali had not played for the team in the last two years. His last T20 match was in October 2023, and his last ODI was in April 2022. In his career, he scored 577 runs in 58 T20 matches at an average of 15 and a strike rate of 133. In 21 ODIs, he scored 382 runs with an average of 25.