“Only dream…” – Pakistan star announces surprise retirement ahead of Bangladesh series

The 24-year-old Pakistan player has shocked the cricketing world by announcing his decision to retire from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) before their away series agaist Bangladesh, citing politics, corruption, and lack of structure in the domestic system. The batter decided to make the decision, having not gotten enough chances to shine, despite doing well at the domestic level. 

Shahzaib Bhatti, the left-handed batter of the Pakistan side, aged 24, has smashed 76 runs in three innings of first-class cricket at an average of 38 and a strike rate of 71.02 with the best score of 40 runs. Those games came for Sialkot as his last first-class clash came against Peshawar at the start of 2025.

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“Goodbye, Pakistan cricket. Goodbye, Pakistan cricket. At 24 years of age, I am leaving Pakistan cricket. I won the Quaid-e-Azam final last year on live television. Since then, I’ve been benched for almost 40 games in a row. My only dream is to represent Pakistan. But politics, corruption, and lack of structure have ruined my career. And many others, I now know why everyone is leaving Pakistan cricket. Goodbye.” Bhatti wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Shahzaib Bhatti retires from Pakistan cricket at 24

Bhatti, who was born in Sialkot, has played a very key role in the city’s Region’s thrilling one-wicket win over the Peshawar region in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2024/25 final, having scored an unbeaten 32 in a dramatic finish.

Bhatti claimed that he had been sidelined by the Pakisan board, despite his crucial and memorable performance, and had been made to sit on the bench for nearly 40 matches. The youngster also noted that his dream was to represent Pakistan, but the bad and broken domestic structure has forced him to walk away from the game.

Two years ago, Bhatti made his List A debut for Eshaal in the Presidents Cup in the Grade 1 and also bagged two wickets. He made his T20 debut against Rawalpindi, where he claimed one wicket while conceding 47 runs in four overs of the innings.