Aiman Anwer's New Role After Stepping Off the Field

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-08-27

The Pakistan Cricket Board made it official recently. Fast bowler Aiman Anwer has retired from international cricket. At 34, she's hanging up her boots and moving into a completely different part of the game. She's traded her cricket whites for the official's blazer, stepping into the role of match referee. Her transition wasn't a long, drawn-out process either. She made her debut as a referee in the National Women's Under-19 Tournament almost immediately after her announcement. It's a fresh start, and it comes right as Pakistan's women's team gears up for a major tournament. ### Why Her International Playing Days Ended Let's rewind a bit. Anwer wasn't just a player; she was a fixture in Pakistan's white-ball squads for years. She represented her country in four major ICC World Cup tournaments. That's no small feat. Her journey included three Women's T20 World Cups and the 2022 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. But cricket, like any sport, can be brutally honest. Performance is the ultimate metric. Her place in the national team became uncertain. In her final eight T20I appearances, she failed to take a wicket. That's a tough stretch for any bowler, especially at the highest level. Her last ODI was in 2022 against England during the World Cup. Her final international match was a year later, at the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa against the West Indies. After that, the call-ups stopped. ### The Pivot to Officiating So, what do you do when the playing chapter closes? For Aiman Anwer, the answer wasn't to walk away from cricket entirely. She explored her options. She first stepped into broadcasting, sharing her insights from behind the microphone. But her heart seemed to be pulling her back to the field, just in a different capacity. She set her sights on match officiating. It's not a simple switch. You can't just decide one day. There's a process. She enrolled in and passed the Pakistan Cricket Board's mandatory induction course in January of 2026. That certification was her ticket to this new career. As one cricket writer put it, "She's calling the game from a new vantage point now." Her first assignment was a fitting one: overseeing the opening rounds of the National Women's Under-19 Tournament. It's where the next generation begins, and now she's there to help guide them. ### A Look Back at a Seven-Year Career Anwer's playing career deserves a proper look. It spanned seven years of dedication to the green jersey. - **Debut:** She first played for Pakistan in a T20I against England back in July 2016. - **Formats:** She played 37 T20 Internationals and 8 One-Day Internationals. - **A Notable Stat:** She was the 37th player to represent Pakistan in T20Is, and she played 37 of them. A curious coincidence. - **Wickets:** She took 33 international wickets in total, with 29 of those coming in the T20 format. Her career statistics tell the story of a committed bowler who operated in the fast-paced, high-pressure world of modern cricket. She finished with a T20I bowling average of 29.44, navigating batters who were increasingly aggressive. Her retirement marks the end of one journey but the very clear beginning of another. It's a reminder that for many athletes, their deepest connection to their sport doesn't end when the final whistle blows. It simply evolves. Anwer is now part of the framework that keeps the game fair and flowing, using her years of on-field experience to inform her decisions off it. It's a challenging path, but one she's clearly prepared to walk.