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While the game of cricket has witnessed a few players who played international cricket even after turning 40, there were a bunch of unfortunate players too, who, despite promising performances, could not extend their career beyond the age of 30, for reasons ranging from injuries, loss of form, to even a lifetime ban.
Here are 5 such promising players who were touted as long-term assets for their respective teams, but destiny had other plans.
Irfan Pathan
Baroda’s Irfan Pathan burst onto the international scene as a 19-year-old, and in only his second Test, he had Steve Waugh caught and Adam Gilchrist bowled with his yorkers. In 2004, he achieved exceptional records against Pakistan, taking 12 wickets in three Tests.
He was given the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award in 2004, and in 2005, he set a new record by claiming 21 wickets in two Tests against New Zealand. The feat he achieved next year cannot be forgotten by any cricket fan - a hat-trick in his very first over in a Test match in Karachi.
However, by 2009, loss of form, plus injuries, made his spot in the team very irregular. He made a comeback in 2012, but yet another injury meant his career was almost over. Irfan, once considered as India’s long-term bowling asset, was 28 when he last played for India.
Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful gave us several glimpses of his wonderful batting, but those remained glimpses alone, and could not be translated into consistent performances by the right-hander.
From becoming the youngest Test centurion to scoring an unbeaten 158 against India, to the gritty 100 he made against Australia, Ashraful entertained and won Bangladesh matches, but not consistently. He scored 2737 runs in 61 Tests and 3468 runs in 177 ODIs.
After his decent performances in the 2007 World Cup, he couldn’t grab the opportunities given to him and his form kept worsening. Besides, with better performers joining the team, he eventually lost his place until 2013, when he made a grand comeback, scoring 190 in a Test against Sri Lanka.
However, just when his fans thought that his international career had been resurrected, Ashraful was banned for life by the ICC for his involvement in spot-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League. He last played international cricket in 2013, at the age of 27.
RP Singh
RP Singh, from 2006 to 2008, was at the peak of his career and one of the best assets of the Indian Team. From winning the man-of-the-match award on debut against Pakistan to spearheading historic wins in Australia, the Uttar Pradesh-born pacer remained in the limelight for quite some time.
He had the ability to move the new ball both ways, and his inswingers were the biggest trouble for right-handed batsmen. However, in 2011 against England, he bowled 34 overs and went wicketless, which effectively ended his international career that could have been extended with a few more chances.
RP Singh was only 25 when he last wore the Indian jersey. He played 14 Tests, 58 ODIs, and 10 T20Is, grabbing 40, 69 and 15 wickets respectively.
Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria was and will remain one of Pakistan’s greatest leg-spinners. He ended his career as the highest wicket-taking spinner for Pakistan, but all those splendid achievements were eclipsed by his wrongdoings in a 2009 Pro40 match against Durham when as an Essex player, he was charged guilty of spot-fixing by the England Cricket Board and was consequently banned for a lifetime.
Kaneria took 276 international wickets from only 79 games, but the spot-fixing controversy meant Pakistan could not let him play at the highest level again. Kaneria last played for Pakistan in 2010, at the age of 29.
S Sreesanth
When S Sreesanth made his international debut in 2005, he was considered as a bright prospect for the team, which could have been true if the Kerala pacer was not involved in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing saga. Sreesanth played a crucial role in India’s resurgence in foreign conditions. His 87 wickets from 27 Tests and 75 wickets from 53 ODIs are a testament to his talent.
However, Sreesanth was banned for a lifetime in 2017 for allegedly having been involved in illegal betting during the IPL 2013. In any case, loss of form plus injuries had kept him out of the national team since 2011, when he last donned the Indian jersey against Sri Lanka in the World Cup final at Wankhede, at the age of 27.
