New Delhi: One of India’s star performers during the victorious 2011 World Cup campaign, Munaf Patel announced retirement from the sport on Saturday at the age of 35. A veteran of 13 Tests, 70 ODIs and 3 T20Is, Munaf was known for his brilliant line and length, which compensated for his lack of pace.
The tall and lanky fast-medium bowler began his cricketing career in 2003, featuring for India A in a First Class match, following it with a debut in List A format. For three years, he played in the domestic circuit before his good form was noticed by the national team selectors.
While his Test career was far from good, with just 35 wickets in 13 matches, Munaf had a very promising ODI career. In 70 matches, he took 86 wickets at an average of 30.26 and an economy just under 5. He had a brief T20I career, playing just three matches, in which he took 4 wickets. Though, his best for India was to be seen in the World Cup 2011.
Munaf last played for India in 2011 against England at Cardiff, and has since been overlooked by the selectors. He was also fairly successful in the Indian Premier League, playing 63 matches over seven seasons, taking 74 wickets, though, he only played two matches in the 2017 campaign and did not feature in 2018 season. He is expected to next feature in the T10 cricket league, following which, he is aiming to begin a stint coaching career.
