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Canada's former captain Navneet Dhaliwal has announced his retirement from international cricket ahead of his team's dead rubber ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Afghanistan on February 19. The 37-year-old revealed that it was pre-planned that he would retire after the ongoing tournament.
"I took the decision before I came here [for the World Cup]. I've been playing for more than 12 [11] years now," Dhaliwal said. "So it was planned and this is going to be my last match."
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Dhaliwal made the announcement after Canada lost to New Zealand by eight wickets despite 19-year-old Yuvraj Samra's record-breaking century.
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The Chandigarh-born batter will retire as Canada's highest run-getter in T20Is. From 48 T20Is, he has scored 1,305 runs at an average of 32.62 and strike rate of 129.20. He has 10 fifties to his name. Dhaliwal is Canada's most experienced captain. From 29 T20Is, Canada have won 22 games under his leadership, lost six whereas one ended in no result.
His best memory was when Canada qualified for the T20 World Cup 2024 and he scored a half-century as captain against USA.
"Yeah, the best memory was when we first qualified for the [2024 T20] World Cup," Dhaliwal said. "After that, I scored in the opening game of the World Cup last time. Also when I became a captain, that was a proud moment for me. So yeah, those few [memorable] moments."
Dhaliwal to take up coaching after retirement?
Dhaliwal aims to coach after hanging up his boots. However, he would like to work with youngsters instead of the senior side.
"I'm thinking of coaching but not on a national level," he said. "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."
Dhaliwal’s last T20I
In the ongoing tournament, Dhaliwal registered scores of 64, 34 and 10. His 64-run knock came against South Africa in their opening encounter. He will walk out to bat donning the Canada jersey one last time when they take on Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan at MA Chidambaram Stadium on February 19.
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