New Delhi, February 18 – Canada's top run-scorer in T20Is and former captain, Navneet Dhaliwal, has announced his retirement from international cricket after the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup.
Dhaliwal will play his last match for the national team against Afghanistan in their final group stage match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.
Dhaliwal stated that he had made the decision before entering the World Cup.
"I made the decision before I came here. I have been playing for over 12 years, so it was planned, and this will be my last match," Dhaliwal was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Dhaliwal made his debut for Canada in 2015 and went on to become the team's highest run-scorer in T20Is, scoring 1305 runs in 48 matches. He also played 18 ODIs and scored 456 runs for the team.
He has a strong record as Canada's captain. Under his leadership, the team won 21 out of the 25 matches he captained. However, he lost the two ODIs as a skipper. Dhaliwal feels that captaining the side and scoring 61 off 44 in his first T20 World Cup match was his best memory.
"Yes, the best memory was when we first qualified for the World Cup. After that, I scored in the opening game of the World Cup last time. Also, when I became captain, that was a proud moment for me. So, those few moments," Dhaliwal said.
Dhaliwal wants to transition into a coaching role and develop Canadian cricket from the grassroots level after his retirement.
"I'm thinking of coaching, but not at the national level. My priority would be the youngsters. That's something that would give me happiness. It's hard to leave cricket right away, and once cricket is in your blood, it's very hard to stop playing. So, my next goal is to help the youngsters to take the next step," he said.
Meanwhile, Canada had a disappointing performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The team lost all of their first three group stage matches, and they will now hope to end the campaign on a high note when they face Afghanistan.
