Shafiq, 37, was a core part of the Misbah-ul-Haq Test side in the 2010s, playing a vital role in their rise to the top of the Test rankings in August 2016. He announced his retirement on Sunday, after captaining the Karachi Whites side to the National T20 title, beating Abbotabad in the final in Karachi. He has agreed to play three games for his department side SNGPL (Sui Northern Gas Pipelines) in the returning Patron’s Trophy – the first-class tournament for department teams – because they will be missing several players away on Test duty. But effectively, the T20 final was his farewell.
Shafiq played the last of his 77 Tests for Pakistan in 2020, nearly 10 years after his debut. He had been a regular on the domestic circuit since, though he said after the final that he was no longer feeling as excited about the game as he used to.
“I’m no longer feeling that excitement and passion that I did when I first started playing the game,” he said. “I wanted to thank all those who have helped me through my career.
“After being dropped in 2020 I kept on playing domestic cricket for three years in the hope of getting another crack at the Pakistan team. But before the start of this season, I had decided this would be my last season because I felt that closing in on 38 years of age this was time to retire instead of people telling me to step down.”
A future as a selector in Wahab Riaz’s new-look committee now awaits, as Shafiq waits for his contract to be finalised.