Pakistan fast bowler Aiman Anwer has announced her retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a career that spanned nearly a decade and 45 appearances for the national side. The announcement came on August 26, 2026, just as Pakistan were gearing up for the ACC Women's T20 Asia Cup.
Who is Aiman Anwer
Aiman Anwer is a right-arm medium-fast bowler who made her name as one of the more experienced pace options in Pakistan's women's setup. Born in September 1991, she made her Women's T20I debut against England in July 2016 and added an ODI debut against Bangladesh the following year, at the 2017 World Cup Qualifier. Over the years she turned out for domestic sides including Karachi, Sindh, Saif Sports Saga and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, building a reputation as a reliable new-ball option before she was a fixture in the international set-up.
Career and achievements
Anwer's international career reads as a long and steady one rather than a flashy one. She played 37 T20 Internationals, taking 29 wickets, and 8 One Day Internationals, picking up 4 wickets, for a combined 45 appearances across formats. She represented Pakistan at three editions of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup — in 2018, 2020 and 2023 — and was part of the squad at the 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. She also featured in cricket at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, one of the sport's marquee multi-discipline appearances for women's cricket. Her final T20I came against West Indies during the group stage of the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa, while her last ODI outing was against England in the league phase of the 2022 World Cup.
That longevity is really the headline achievement here. Across close to a decade of Pakistan women's cricket — a period during which the team's structures, contracts and playing depth all changed considerably — Anwer remained part of the pace bowling conversation, featuring across white-ball tournaments at a time when the women's game in Pakistan was still building its international calendar.
Why she retired
Neither Anwer nor the Pakistan Cricket Board have put out a detailed explanation for the timing or reasoning behind the decision. Reports covering the announcement have not carried a personal statement from her laying out her reasons, nor has the PCB issued an extended tribute or statement beyond confirming the retirement. What is notable is the timing: the announcement lands right as Pakistan's squad assembles for the Asia Cup, suggesting this is as much about a natural career endpoint — she had not featured for Pakistan since 2023 — as anything sudden. Some coverage has noted she has since moved into broadcasting and, more recently, match officiating, activities that point to a life already shifting away from playing before this formal announcement made it official.
What's next
With Anwer stepping away, Pakistan's pace bowling pool for the ongoing Asia Cup and beyond leans further on the newer crop of seamers who have come through since her last appearance in 2023. Her retirement also adds her name to the list of milestone Pakistan women's cricketers whose international careers have wound down as the domestic pathway produces a younger generation of pacers.
For now, the timing means her retirement will be talked about alongside Pakistan's Asia Cup 2026 campaign rather than as a standalone story — a reminder of how far the women's team has traveled since she first walked out for her T20I debut back in 2016, and a marker for how much further the current squad still hopes to go in this tournament.
