Pakistan middle-order dasher Asif Ali has confirmed he is stepping away from international cricket. The 33-year-old, best known for closing out T20 innings, finishes with 79 caps: 21 ODIs and 58 T20Is.
His headline moment remains that seven-ball 25 against Afghanistan at the 2021 T20 World Cup, a burst that swung a match – and, briefly, a tournament – Pakistan’s way. Reflecting on his journey he said, “Wearing the Pakistan jersey has been the greatest honour of my life and serving my country on the cricket field has been my proudest chapter.”
Ali stressed he will “continue to play domestic cricket and in franchise leagues around the world,” a decision that should keep his late-overs hitting in demand.
The right-hander earned a T20I debut in April 2018 after helping Islamabad United lift the PSL title, adding an ODI cap two months later. Consistency proved harder to secure. A run of low scores and the emergence of younger finishers nudged him out of the first-choice XI, and his last appearance came at the 2023 Asian Games with a largely second-string squad.
From a Pakistan perspective, selectors have cover in Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan and the all-round skills of Shadab Khan. For Ali, the timing feels pragmatic: franchise schedules offer regular cricket and a role tailored to his strengths.
The international chapter ends, but his straight-bat power hitting, particularly against pace at the death, still has currency in leagues from Karachi to the Caribbean.
