Usman Shinwari has walked away from international cricket, closing an often-frustrating chapter that brought him one Test cap, 17 ODIs and 16 T20Is between 2013 and 2019.
“I’ve taken the tough decision to retire from international cricket,” the left-arm quick wrote on social media on Monday. “My back hasn’t let me serve the team the way I wanted.”
Shinwari’s raw pace first caught the eye in 2013 when, at 19, he ripped through Misbah-ul-Haq’s SNGPL line-up in the departmental T20 final, taking 5 for 9. A T20I debut against Sri Lanka followed that December, yet his lone over in Dubai cost nine runs and yielded no wicket. Four years later he finally broke into the one-day side and, in only his second ODI, again against Sri Lanka, he produced the spell for which many still remember him: 5 for 34 in Sharjah, five wickets tumbling in just 21 balls.
Former Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood recalled that burst fondly. “Those 20-odd minutes showed what he could do when the rhythm was right,” he said. “Sadly, the back kept flaring up.”
The injury never truly settled. Stress reactions limited his spells, and after his solitary Test appearance in Rawalpindi in 2019 – also versus Sri Lanka – he disappeared from the international scene. A comeback attempt in last season’s National T20 Cup for Quetta Region brought four wicketless outings and more discomfort.
Shinwari finishes with 34 international appearances and two ODI five-fors, the second arriving in Karachi in 2019. Waqar Younis offered a sympathetic assessment. “You always felt there was another gear in him,” the former captain noted. “But fast-bowling backs have a mind of their own.”
For now, Shinwari plans to continue in domestic and franchise cricket “as long as the body allows.” Pakistan move on, but a talented bowler leaves wondering what might have been had his spine behaved.
