Former UAE skipper Ahmed Raza announces retirement from international cricket

Former UAE skipper Ahmed Raza has announced retirement from international cricket after playing the game for 17 years. Post-retirement, he is all set to take up a role in UAE's coaching staff, thus perpetuating his service to the nation's cricket. In T20 Internationals, he is UAE’s most successful captain as the team emerged victorious in 18 of 27 T20I matches under his leadership. 

Taking to Twitter, Raza wrote “"it is with great pride that I'm announcing my retirement from all forms of cricket," Raza wrote on social media. "After much thought, I believe this is the right time to step away from the game that has given me so much love and respect over the last 17 years."

Raza took a moment to express gratitude to everyone who stood by him during his journey, including his family, friends and colleagues.

"Representing and leading my country in the great sport of cricket has been one of the greatest honors of mine. I must thank the Board, my colleagues, coaches, selectors and most importantly my late father, who supported and enabled me to live my dream to the fullest. Also, my mother, my siblings and my friends who were there through it all. Lastly and most importantly to my wife, Mehreen, who has been my biggest support system over the last few years," Raza wrote. 

He further extended special gratitude to legendary Pakistan bowler Aqib Javed who groomed him into a professional player, honing his skills and thus contributing to his success.

"Whilst there are many that supported me throughout my career - I would like to say a special thank you to Aqib Javed, who contributed greatly to my success and turned a rookie into a thorough professional," Raza mentioned.

Leading the UAE to the T20 World Cup always a significant achievement: Raza

Raza has been with the team through many ups and downs over a long period of time during which, the team made impressive progress in the course of the game. Raza has been a part of many historic moments in UAE's cricket history. Commenting on his 17-year long tryst with cricket, Raza wrote that it wasn't easy to pinpoint any of those moments as the biggest but he believed that leading his nation to the T20 World Cup in Australia was quite a significant achievement.

"It's hard to pinpoint a moment over the course of 17 years, however, leading the UAE to the T20 World Cup will always be a significant achievement of mine," read a part of Raza's retirement note.

Throughout his international career, Raza featured in more than 108 games across formats. Between 2014 to 2022, he also led the team in 56 limited-over matches, of which he succeeded in winning 32, with a 66% win rate. His second stint as skipper began in 2019, with holding the reins of the UAE in the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament. He led the team at a time wen it was hit by a corruption crisis that led to the ban of seven cricketers. In August 2022, he was replaced by CP Rizwan as UAE’s captain in T20 Internationals.