Former Pakistani opening batsman Imran Farhat on Tuesday announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket, following which Pakistan Cricket Board congratulated the 38-years-old on his glorious career.

Imran Farhat played for Balochistan in the domestic season 2020-21 and was the highest run-scorer for his team, amassing 499 runs which included three half-centuries and one century in nine matches.

However, on the completion of his side's campaign in the Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament, Farhat announced his retirement from professional cricket. 

The 38-year-old marked his debut in domestic cricket in a List "A" match in the 1997-98 season and made his first-class debut the next season.

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Imran emerged on the national scene following impressive runs with the national U19 and "A" sides and made his debut for the senior men's team during Pakistan's tour of New Zealand in 2001 in ODI cricket in February and played his maiden Test the next month.

Imran represented Pakistan cricket Team in 40 Test matches, scoring 2,400 runs which included three 100s and fourteen 50s, averaging 32.00, and scored 1,719 runs from a total of 58 ODIs, scoring a single century and 13 half-centuries at an average of 32.69.

Speaking on his retirement, Imran Farhat, 38, said it was an emotional moment for him and it was an honor for him to represent Pakistan. 

"It is certainly an emotional moment for me to retire from the game which I have loved and have been passionate about since childhood. It has been an honor for me to don Pakistan colors, something which every youngster in this country dream about.

There have been highs and lows in my career, which is natural, but the fact that I got to get on the field for almost two and a half decades is something I will cherish forever." said Imran Farhat.

The left-handed opening batsman further thanked his teammates, coaches, and family for supporting him through his career."I want to thank the teammates with whom I have shared dressing rooms for giving me lifetime memories. I also want to thank the coaches who believed in me while helping me get where I am today.

I also want to thank my family who made extraordinary sacrifices to see me happy and help me achieve my dreams. They have put in an incredible effort, which remains in the background, and without their support, I would certainly not have been able to achieve any of this," he said.

However, congratulating him on his successful career, PCB Chief Executive Wasim khan said that Farhat has been one of the most successful batsmen in the Pakistan circuit.

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"Imran Farhat has been one of the most successful batsmen in Pakistan's domestic circuit and I congratulate him on completing a successful career. Imran has always been willing to give back to Pakistan cricket what he has learned over his cricketing career.

He led a young Balochistan side after the domestic structures revamp in 2019 and shared his knowledge with the upcoming cricketers from the region."  said Wasim Khan. 

Throughout his career, Imran score scored more than 15,000 runs in 230 First-Class matches where he scored 38 centuries and 17 half-centuries.

He captained Habib Bank Limited to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title in the 2018-19 season and steered Balochistan as the team's captain in 2019-20 and the senior-most member in 2020-21 seasons.

(ANI inputs)