5 Cricketers who played through the pain barrier throughout their careers

Injuries are an inevitable fact of life in cricket or for that matter in any other sport. Games are being played with such a high intensity nowadays that the risk of injuries is also correspondingly higher. With a crowded schedule, the time to rest and rebuild is also scarce. Staying fit and competing in all three forms of cricket, therefore remains the biggest challenge that a modern cricketer faces.

Over the years, we have seen talented cricketers being plagued by injuries, thus limiting their career span. In the process, some really good players never realised their true potential. Some players have successfully managed their injuries and health issues, producing excellent match-winning performances whilst continuing to play at the highest level.

Here are five such exceptional players.

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#1 Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan easily figures in the list of all-time successful fast bowlers. His ability to swing the new ball and generate reverse swing with the old ball in both subcontinent and overseas conditions remains second to none. He spearheaded India’s pace attack for more than a decade. He had a sharp quick bouncer and an accurate yorker which he used very effectively to rattle the opposition.

Khan was India’s answer to Wasim Akram, and when in full flow he looked like a craftsman par-excellence. Under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy, the left-arm bowler made rapid strides and remained India’s No 1 bowler around whom the bowling attack was built. He was key in winning the World Cup on home soil and for India to become the number one ranked side in Tests.

Fitness was Zaheer’s nemesis all throughout his career. A nagging shoulder also did not help his cause.

Zaheer managed his injuries well and often played through the pain and discomfort. There were a few occasions when his fitness caused him to leave halfway through a match, or have sub-par performances.

Nevertheless, Zaheer finished his test career with 311 wickets in 92 games and also took 282 ODI scalps, the second Indian fast bowler to have so many wickets to his name after the legendary Kapil Dev.

#2 Jonty Rhodes

Rhodes is still the benchmark in fielding

Jonty Rhodes is arguably the best fielder that world cricket has seen. He could be seen diving, catching, throwing in his favourite backward point position. In fact, this has come to be now known as Jonty’s corner as a tribute to his incredible athleticism and alertness.

He was also a part of South Africa’s Hockey team for the 1992 Olympics but failed to qualify for the tournament. Rhodes shot to fame when he ran from backward point and dislodged the stumps to run out Inzamam Ul Haq during the 1992 World Cup, which till date remains one of the iconic moments of world cricket.

Jonty Rhodes holds the record for five catches against West Indies in an innings – the most number of dismissals by a fielder other than a wicketkeeper. Rhodes also represented South Africa in 52 Tests and 245 ODI’s during an 11-year long career.

Rhodes bowed out of the game when he broke his hand while trying to take a catch against Kenya in the build up to the 2003 World Cup on home soil. This injury proved serious enough to prevent a comeback, thus prematurely ending his hopes of representing his nation. He called it quits from the international game but has become a successful cricket coach. The standards he set are ones that all good fielders now aspire to achieve.

#3 Michael Clarke

Clarke battled hamstring and back problems

Michael Clarke career was a roller coaster ride. It started in October 2004 when he made his Test debut against India in Bangalore in 2004 scoring 151. He played a crucial role in that series with bat and ball as Australia won their first away series versus India in thirty years. He also scored a test century at home against New Zealand and thus earned the distinction of one of the few cricketers scoring centuries on both away and home debuts.

He also scored a Test century at home against New Zealand and thus earned the distinction of one of the few cricketers scoring centuries on both away and home debuts.

Clarke was the captain of the Ashes side which thrashed England 5-0 at home to retain the urn and was also captain of the 2015 Australia side which won their fifth World Cup.

The New South Wales batsman struggled through a chronic and recurring back problem for much of his playing career. Over the years he missed a lot of games and though he managed it later on in his career by limiting himself to batting, it did affect his performances.

Later on in his career he became a victim of hamstring injuries. Injuries accompanied by poor form saw Clarke retire from all forms of the game in 2015. But not before he had amassed 8,643 test runs at an average of 49.10 and 7,981runs from 245 ODIs at an average of 44.58.

#4 Shane Bond

Bond was one of the few bowlers who could cross the 150 kmph mark

The bowler who had all the makings of going past the legendary Sir Richard Hadlee was his fellow New Zealander Shane Bond. He has consistently clocked very high speeds – sometimes in excess of 150 kmph, whilst displaying wonderful control of seam and swing.

Unfortunately, Bond’s career was plagued by injuries right from the start, and was never able to deliver consistent performances. In addition to muscular strains, he had stress fractures of the back. In his later years he suffered from back problems, knee injuries and an abdominal tear. These injuries never allowed Bond to operate in full flow and he represented New Zealand in only 18 test matches taking 82 wickets and in 82 ODI’s registering 147 scalps to his name.

One can only imagine the impact he would have had by playing over 50 Test matches or double the number of ODIs! He retired in 2009 from Test cricket aged 34 after battling most of his career with injuries and in 2010 retired from all international cricket after ICC WT20. Bond will always be remembered for his bowling capabilities and misfortunes he faced due to injuries.

#5 Andrew Flintoff

Flintoff had ankle and knee injuries which curtailed his career

This talented and mercurial cricketer was the impact all-rounder for the England team for many years. The highlight of his career was when he played a starring role in England Ashes triumph over Australia after 18 years in 2005. Flintoff retired in 2010 after long-standing problems with knee and ankle injuries which had marred a majority of his playing career.

Since making his debut in 1998, he was consistently rated as a top all-rounder for England in both ODI and Test cricket. He represented England in 79 Tests and 141 ODI’s and took 168 wickets in ODI cricket – the third highest by any English bowler. Flintoff showed tremendous grit and determination to play the game at the highest level despite his injury and fitness problems.