Karachi, 4 October, 2026 (Ghufran): Pakistan women’s team fast bowler Kainat Imtiaz has announced her retirement from international cricket after representing Pakistan in 19 One-Day Internationals and 21 T20 Internationals over a 13-year international career. Kainat recently began a new chapter in cricket by taking up the role of match referee during the PCB National Women’s U19 T20 Tournament held in August and September. She represented Pakistan at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017, featuring in four matches, and made her T20I debut against South Africa in Potchefstroom in October 2010 before earning her ODI cap against Ireland in Fatullah, Bangladesh. The right-arm pacer was also part of Pakistan’s women’s squads that won gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games in China and South Korea, respectively, and represented the country at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She played her final ODI against Australia at the Gabba in January 2023, while her last T20I appearance came against Thailand in Sylhet in October 2022. Kainat began her cricket career in February 2007 with the Karachi Schools U17 team in the PCB National Schools U17 Women’s Championship before making her domestic List A debut in March 2008 and T20 debut later that year. Her cricketing family has also made history, with her mother, Saleema Imtiaz, becoming Pakistan’s first woman umpire on the ICC International Development Panel in 2024 and subsequently officiating nine Women’s ODIs and 69 Women’s T20Is.