New Delhi [India], February 18 : Former Canada captain Navneet Dhaliwal has announced that he will retire from international cricket following Canada's final match of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 against Afghanistan on Thursday.
Dhaliwal confirmed his decision after Canada's loss to New Zealand on Tuesday, according to ESPNcricinfo.
The result against New Zealand ended Canada's hopes of progressing to the Super Eight stage.
Dhaliwal has so far scored 108 runs in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 tournament. He top-scored with a 49-ball 64 for his side in the campaign opener against South Africa and then scored 34 runs against the UAE.
Dhaliwal is poised to retire as Canada's leading run-scorer in T20 Internationals. Since making his international debut in 2015, he has led the side in 29 T20Is and four ODIs, guiding Canada to 21 victories in the T20 format during his tenure as captain.
Navneet Dhaliwal said he had decided before arriving at the World Cup that it would be his final tournament after more than a decade in international cricket. He described Canada's qualification for the 2024 T20 World Cup, scoring in their opening match, and being appointed captain as the most cherished moments of his career.
Notably, Dhaliwal scored a memorable 61 off 44 balls in Canada's maiden T20 World Cup appearance.
"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. Yeah, the best memory was when we first qualified for the [2024 T20] World Cup. 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 said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Dhaliwal said he hopes to move into coaching, focusing on developing young players rather than taking up a national-level role. He admitted it's difficult to step away from the game but wants to help the next generation progress. Citing Yuvraj Samra's century against New Zealand as an example, Dhaliwal highlighted the potential of Canada-born players and stressed the importance of nurturing emerging talent despite limited cricketing infrastructure.
"I'm thinking of coaching but not on a 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. You see what Yuvraj Samra did. Scoring a hundred against New Zealand, which is one of the best sides in the world. And he is someone who was born in Canada, where it's not easy to learn cricket. I think we still have a background of India. We played cricket here," he added further.