Roston Chase quietly wrote his name into the record books on Sunday, becoming the first batter to retire out in a men’s T20I between two Full-Member sides. The moment arrived during West Indies’ pursuit of 190 against Pakistan in the series decider at a sunny but unforgiving Lauderhill.
The chase began in promising fashion. Alick Athanaze, opening in only his seventh T20I, cruised to 60 off 40 deliveries, manipulating gaps instead of swinging wildly. When he holed out in the 13th over, the hosts were 110 for 3 and needed 80 from 42. Not out of reach in Florida conditions, but the momentum sagged.
Sherfane Rutherford, at No. 4, found fluency straight away. Chase, batting alongside him, did not. Two boundaries aside, his 15 from 12 balls never quite got going. With 41 required off the last three overs, captain Rovman Powell signalled to the dug-out: Chase was called back—“retired out” rather than “retired hurt”.
Powell told the host broadcaster, “We felt we needed a hitter straight away. Roston was honest enough to say it wasn’t his night.” The tactical switch hardly altered the outcome. West Indies managed only 27 more, conceding the series 2-1.
Under Law 25.4, retiring out is perfectly legal, but still unusual. This was only the 12th occurrence in men’s T20Is. The previous case involving a Full-Member came at the 2024 T20 World Cup, when Namibia opener Nikolaas Davin left after 18 off 16 in a rain-shortened chase against England.
Chase has done this before: in the ILT20 earlier this year he stepped aside for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders after crawling to 20 off 13 at the end of the 18th over. On that occasion, the move paid off. This time, Pakistan’s death bowlers held firm.
Analytically, the decision made sense. Chase’s strike rate of 125 lagged behind the required rate, then north of 13. Introducing a fresh hitter offered a theoretical boost. Yet cricket remains a game played in the middle, not on spreadsheets.
Naseem Shah, mixing skiddy yorkers and slower cutters, closed out the innings with composure. “The plan was to stay calm and hit the blockhole,” Naseem said afterwards. Simple plan, executed well.
West Indies leave Lauderhill with mixed feelings: reassurance in Athanaze’s poise at the top, concern over middle-order tempo, and a curious statistical footnote courtesy of Chase—always the team man, now owner of an unlikely slice of T20 history.
