Kainat Imtiaz Retires From International Cricket After 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is
Pakistan fast bowler Kainat Imtiaz retired on 4 October after 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is over 13 years. See her career dates, World Cup, Asian Games and new role.
Fast bowler Kainat Imtiaz announced her retirement from international cricket on 4 October 2026. She played 19 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 21 T20 Internationals (T20Is) for Pakistan women over 13 years. She has already started a second career as a match referee in PCB women's tournaments.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) published the news in a short release, and it did not get much attention beside the men's series that week. Her career is worth a closer look. She played in a World Cup, in a Commonwealth Games and in two Asian Games squads that won gold. We read the PCB release on pcb.com.pk on 15 October 2026. All the figures below come from it.
Kainat Imtiaz retired after 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is
The PCB says Kainat Imtiaz represented Pakistan in 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is across 13 years. The release does not give her runs or wickets, so this page gives only the match counts and dates the PCB published.
Her 40 international matches in total came across more than a decade, so the counts are modest. The release does not say why. Women's cricket now has a fuller calendar, and the 2026 Asian Games are covered in the report on Pakistan women's cricket at the 2026 Asian Games.
| Format | Matches | Debut | Cap number |
|---|---|---|---|
| T20I | 21 | October 2010, v South Africa, Potchefstroom | 22 |
| ODI | 19 | Against Ireland women, Fatullah, Bangladesh | 64 |
She was a right-arm pace bowler. Her T20I debut in October 2010 made her Pakistan women's T20I cap number 22. Her ODI debut was against Ireland women at Fatullah in Bangladesh, where she became ODI cap number 64. The release gives no date for the ODI debut.
Her last matches were in October 2022 and January 2023
Kainat played her last T20I at Sylhet against Thailand in October 2022. Her last ODI was against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane in January 2023. So she was out of the national side for almost four years before she announced her retirement.
That gap is worth stating plainly. Retirement on 4 October 2026 closed a career that had effectively ended in early 2023. Many players take that route: they stop playing for the national side, keep playing domestic cricket for a while, and announce the end later. The PCB does not say whether she still plays domestic matches, so we do not say either.
She played at the 2017 World Cup and in two Asian Games gold squads
Kainat played four matches at the 2017 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup. She was also part of the Pakistan women's squads that won gold at the Asian Games in 2010 in China and in 2014 in South Korea. She was in the squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games too.
The Asian Games record is the part of her career with the most weight, because Pakistan women won gold in both of those editions. The PCB says she was part of both squads. It does not say how many matches she played in each. Women's cricket returned to the Asian Games in 2026, and our report on that event is in the page linked above.
- 2007: Kainat starts with Karachi Schools U17 in the PCB National Schools U17 Women's Championship in February.
- 2008: She makes her List A debut in March and her T20 debut in July.
- 2010: She makes her T20I debut in October and plays in the Asian Games gold squad.
- 2014: She plays in the Asian Games gold squad again.
- 2017: She plays four matches at the World Cup.
- 2022: She is in the Commonwealth Games squad and plays her last T20I in October.
- 2023: She plays her last ODI, against Australia at the Gabba, in January.
She now works as a match referee
The PCB says Kainat recently began a career as a match referee. She worked in the National Women's U19 T20 Tournament held in August and September 2026. A match referee oversees a game for the board and applies the playing conditions and the code of conduct.
The move from player to referee is a clear path for a former international. It keeps her in the game, and women's cricket needs trained officials as the number of fixtures grows. The PCB does not list her as an umpire, and we do not either. The women's under-19 tournaments she worked on are covered in the report on the Pakistan U19 women's tri-series results in Faisalabad.
Her mother Saleema Imtiaz is an ICC development panel umpire
Kainat's mother, Saleema Imtiaz, became Pakistan's first woman umpire on the ICC's International Development Panel in 2024. The PCB says she has officiated nine women's ODIs and 69 women's T20Is so far. Both of them now work in the women's game.
The 69 T20Is and nine ODIs are the PCB's counts as of 4 October 2026. One family now has a World Cup bowler turned referee and an umpire on an international panel.
The women's season is still busy. The National Women's T20 Tournament runs in Faisalabad until the final on 25 October, and the match list is in the report on the National Women's T20 squads and Faisalabad schedule.
Common questions about Kainat Imtiaz
When did Kainat Imtiaz retire?
She announced her retirement from international cricket on 4 October 2026, according to the PCB.
How many matches did Kainat Imtiaz play for Pakistan?
She played 19 ODIs and 21 T20Is for Pakistan women over 13 years.
Did Kainat Imtiaz play in a World Cup?
Yes. She played four matches at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017.
What does Kainat Imtiaz do now?
She has begun a career as a match referee. The PCB says she worked in the National Women's U19 T20 Tournament in August and September 2026.
Who is Saleema Imtiaz?
Saleema Imtiaz is Kainat's mother. She became Pakistan's first woman umpire on the ICC's International Development Panel in 2024.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 15 October 2026. Every figure and date on this page comes from the PCB media release "Kainat Imtiaz announces retirement from international cricket", dated 4 October 2026, on pcb.com.pk. The PCB gives no runs, wickets or averages, so we state none. The explanation of what a match referee does is general background, not from the release.
About the author
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Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
