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Dubbed a ‘serious talent’ by the great Wasim Akram, 18-year-old Pakistani cricketer Ayesha Naseem has announced her retirement from international cricket citing her devotion to Islamic principles.
A powerful batsman with a bright future, he walked away from the sport at an age when most players begin their journey in first-class cricket.
Efforts to persuade her to continue playing, by Pakistan women’s team captain Nida Dar and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), did not produce the desired results.
A source on the board confirmed that Ayesha first informed the PCB in February and March that she had quit playing cricket.
“She was approached for a training camp and assignment but told the board she no longer wanted to play cricket,” the source said.
He said that Aisha made it clear that this was her personal decision and that she “wanted to be a practicing Muslim and live her life according to Islamic teachings”.
Efforts were even made by Nida Dar and some Pakistani players to convince her that she could be a devout Muslim and also play cricket at the same time but Ayesha refused to rethink her decision. Aisha was considered as one of the best young talents in Pakistan cricket with her powerful batting and made a name for herself in a short time.
She represented Pakistan in four One Day Internationals and 30 T20 Internationals (T20Is) and was considered a great prospect.
Coming from a conservative family, Aisha got permission to start playing cricket with great difficulty, said a source familiar with the developments, but once she started touring for the Pakistan team, she ran into problems at home.
“I eventually decided to quit cricket and become a practicing Muslim and abide by the teachings.” In the past, many of Pakistan’s leading players such as Saeed Anwar, Inzam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Yusuf, Saqlan Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed converted to religion while playing cricket, but only Anwar left the game completely after the loss of his young daughter in 2002.
Inzam, Yusuf, Mushtaq and Saqlan maintained their ties to cricket while also becoming part of the Tablighi group.
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