Pakistan Women's cricketer Ayesha Naseem retires at 18: Details here
What's the story
In a major blow for Pakistan's women's cricket team, hard-hitting batter Ayesha Naseem has announced her retirement from all forms of cricket at the age of 18.
She made the shocking decision, citing her devotion to Islamic principles.
Reportedly, team skipper Nida Dar and some board officials tried convincing her to continue playing.
However, their efforts didn't yield any results.
Here are further details.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Earlier this year, Ayesha had reportedly informed the PCB that she had left playing cricket.
"She was contacted for a training camp and assignment but she told the board she no longer wanted to play cricket," a PCB source was quoted as saying as per the New Indian Express.
Ayesha made it clear that she wants to "live her life as per Islamic teachings".
Efforts
Efforts from Dar went in vain
As mentioned, Dar alongside some board officials and players tried convincing the youngster to reconsider her decision.
"Efforts were made even by Nida Dar and some Pakistan players to convince her that she can be a practicing Muslim and also play cricket at the same time but Ayesha refused to rethink her decision," the source added further.
Journey
Ayesha faced problems at home
Coming from a conservative family, Ayesha's journey to the national team was a challenging one.
As per the reports, she got permission to start playing cricket with great difficulty.
However, the problems escalated at her home as the youngster started traveling with the team across the world.
She eventually decided to leave cricket and become a practicing Muslim.
Stats
Here are her stats
Making her international debut at the age of 16 years 339 days in July 2021, Ayesh is among the youngest to represent Pakistan in Women's cricket.
In 30 WT20Is, she clobbered 369 runs at a strike rate of 18.45.
She also played four WODIs, managing just 33 runs at 8.25.
Ayesha last represented Pakistan in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup earlier this year.