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Pakistani Fast Bowler Kainat Imtiaz Retires to Become Match Referee Like Her Mother
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News18•04-10-2026, 16:26
Pakistani Fast Bowler Kainat Imtiaz Retires to Become Match Referee Like Her Mother
- •Kainat Imtiaz, 34, retired from international cricket to pursue a career as a match referee, following in her mother Saleema Imtiaz's footsteps.
- •Kainat represented Pakistan in 19 ODIs and 16 T20Is between October 2010 and January 2023, scoring 134 runs in WODIs and 137 runs in WT20Is, and taking 10 and 8 wickets respectively.
- •Her mother, Saleema Imtiaz, is the first Pakistani woman umpire on the ICC’s International Development Panel, having officiated in nine women’s ODIs and 69 women’s T20Is.
- •Kainat recently officiated matches in the PCB National Women’s Under-19 T20 Tournament and previously worked as a broadcaster, presenter, and commentator.
- •She is the second former Pakistan women’s cricketer to transition to match officiating recently, after Aiman Anwar also made the switch in August.
Key Questions Answered
Kainat Imtiaz retired from international cricket at the age of 34 to pursue a career as a match referee, following in the footsteps of her mother.
Her mother, Saleema Imtiaz, made history by becoming the first Pakistani woman umpire to be included in the ICC's International Development Panel.
During her 13-year career, Kainat was part of the Pakistan team that won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games, and she also played in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
