Saikiran Uppuluri
Saikiran Uppuluri
Faiz Fazal, the former captain of Vidarbha, has announced his retirement from professional cricket at the conclusion of Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy match against Haryana. Fazal, who scored a half-century in his only appearance for India, retires as Vidarbha’s leading run-scorer in both first-class and List-A cricket.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Fazal expressed gratitude for his cricketing journey, which began 21 years ago in Nagpur. He described representing both the Indian Cricket Team and Vidarbha as the greatest honor of his life, filled with cherished memories that he will hold dear forever.
Fazal played a total of 137 first-class matches, 113 List A games, and 66 T20 appearances. He led Vidarbha in 53 first-class matches, 36 List-A matches, and 27 T20 matches. His international debut came in an ODI against Zimbabwe, where he scored an unbeaten 55 in a 10-wicket victory for India. This match would remain his only appearance in national colors.
Notably, Fazal became the first Indian in 16 years to make his international debut in his thirties. He is also the only Indian cricketer to have scored fifty or more in his only ODI appearance. Overall, he became the third player in cricket history to achieve this feat.
In his final appearance for Vidarbha, Fazal registered low scores of 1 and 0, finishing his first-class career with 9184 runs, including 24 centuries and 39 fifties. He also amassed 3641 List A runs at an average of 35.
Fazal’s retirement adds to the list of cricketers bidding farewell to the sport this season, including Saurabh Tiwary and Varun Aaron. As Fazal closes this chapter of his life, he looks forward to embracing new adventures that lie ahead.
