Former Captain of Vidharbha state, Faiz Fazal retired from professional Cricket after Vidharbha’s Ranji Trophy fixture against Haryana. He retired as the leading run-scorer of Vidarbha in the first-class format as well as List A format & he is the only one with over 100 reb ball fixtures for them.
The upcoming day signifies the conclusion of an era as Fazal prepares to set foot on the Nagpur ground for the final time, where his illustrious journey in first-class cricket commenced 21 remarkable years ago. Fondly reflecting on the journey, he expresses gratitude for the unforgettable experiences and cherished memories that will forever hold a special place in his heart.
Having had the privilege of representing both the Indian Cricket Team and Vidarbha, Fazal acknowledges it as the greatest honor of his life. Each time he adorned those cricket jerseys, it instilled in him a profound sense of pride. Bid farewell to his treasured Number 24 jersey, as its absence will be deeply felt.
While bidding adieu to his professional cricket career evokes a mix of emotions, Fazal eagerly anticipates embracing the new adventures that await him in the chapters yet to unfold.
A Glimpse of Faiz Fazal’s Professional Career
The 38-year-old opener played 137 first-class fixtures, 113 List A games, and made 66 T20 appearances. He led Vidarbha in 53 first-class games, 36 times in List-A matches, and 27 T20 matches. He made his International debut in an ODI fixture against Zimbabwe scoring an unbeaten 55 as India registered a massive 10-wicket win. This was his only appearance in the International arena donning India’s jersey.
At that time Fazal became the first indian in 16 years to make his debut at the age of thirty. He is also the only Indian player to score a fifty in his only ODI fixture. Overall, he became the third player to have this distinction, after Australia’s Ashley Woodcock and England’s Kim Barnett. For the unversed, Ben Foakes and South Africa’s Zubayr Hamza also scored their respective fifties in their only ODI appearance but they are active players & can get more caps in this format.
Having scored 151 runs on his debut in 2003, Fazal registered two low scores of 1 & 10 in his final match for Vidarbha to end his career with 9184 runs in first-class cricket with 24 tons & 39 fifties in their kitty. He also gathered 3641 List A runs at an average of 67.91.
Earlier this Ranji Trophy season, Saurabh Tiwary announced his retirement, while Varun Aaron called it quits in red-ball cricket.
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