10 players who should retire from ODIs to make way for youngsters

Ascertaining the time when one should retire is always tricky in international sport. Sportsmen very often encounter a schizophrenic divide between the mind and the body - even when one wants to play on for his side for a few more years, it is often sad to understand that his body does not permit him to do so.Very few sportsmen are able to accept this harsh reality and forcefully try to prolong their careers leading to a slump in form. Very few understand their bodies well and can leave the sport on a high. It is not a question of age always - very often in team sports, decisions have to be taken keeping in mind the long term vision of a team and individuals who do not fit the bill have to be axed unceremoniously.It is always better to bow out on a high before one is axed for a slump in form. The retirement of Sangakkara for instance even when he was the second highest run-getter in the 2015 World Cup is one of those rare examples of a sportsman retiring on a high. At the same time, quite a few players who we expected would retire after the World Cup have surprisingly decided to play on. Let us have a look at ten players who should retire from ODIs now to make way for youngsters.

#10 Ed Joyce

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Ed Joyce has had a rather illustrious career and with a batting average of 34.53 remains one of the star batsmen that Ireland has ever produced. The stylish southpaw who played for England from 2006 to 2010, went back to represent his native country and has been playing for Ireland since then.

With the rather disappointing decision taken by the ICC to have only ten teams in the 2019 World Cup, Joyce concedes that it will be difficult for Ireland to qualify and his dream of playing in another World Cup might well be over. His decision to retire from ODIs to concentrate only on country cricket seems to be just a matter of time now.

#9 Nathan McCullum

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Nathan McCullum has never been a consistent member of the New Zealand ODI team. His most valuable contributions came during the 2011 World Cup in spin-friendly conditions where he established himself as the second spinner alongside Vettori. His ability to play valuable cameos at the end and his superb fielding skills made him a valuable asset to the team.

He has failed to replicate his success in the recent past his last appearance being against England in June this year. He was in the squad for the recently concluded World Cup but failed to make it to the final eleven throughout the tournament.

Having built his reputation as a brilliant T20 player having featured for Lanchashire, Pune Warriors India, Sydney Sixers, Glamorgan and his native side Otago, he might have an important role to play in the ICC World Twenty20 next year. This looks like a suitable time for Nathan McCullum to retire from ODIs to focus on T20s.

#8 Mitchell Johnson

Johnson can prolong his Test Career

Mitchell Johnson had already indicated before the World Cup that he would have to give up on one-day Cricket in order to prolong his Test Career. Despite his team winning the tournament, he hasn't given any indications of retiring from the format.

But ideally, it will be very tough for someone like him to focus on all three formats with the same intensity at this stage of his career as he is fast approaching 34. With a whole group of young fast bowlers ready to burst onto the scene in limited overs cricket, it is time that he quits the 50 over format in order to give us more menacing spells in Test Cricket.

#7 James Anderson

James Anderson still has at least 4 years left in him

The new look England squad in limited overs cricket have been in great touch. Considering that it's been a long time since Anderson really set the ODI stage on fire, England would love to preserve their Test team’s frontline seamer only for the longer version.

If he can quit focussing on limited overs Cricket, then he can easily play Test Cricket for England for another 4 years minimum. It’s upto him to take that call.

#6 Chris Gayle

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This might surprise a few, but the time has come for Gayle to leave 50 overs cricket. Over the last couple of years, his performances have taken a dip in this format even though he scored a double hundred in the World Cup.

Considering the state of West Indies Cricket at the moment, it will be helpful if he can quit ODI Cricket and preserve himself only for T20s and Tests. At the age of 35, with a troublesome back, one cannot expect Gayle to play all three formats consistently. And since he literally picks and chooses the matches he plays, it disrupts the team combination and rhythm.

#5 Rangana Herath

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Rangana Herath was another Sri Lankan who was expected to retire from ODIs after the World Cup. At 37 Herath is not getting younger and it is extremely unlikely that he will feature in the next World Cup.

Herath has been in decent form in Test matches and has shouldered the mantle for Sri Lanka across both the formats ever since the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan. Though economical at best, he is considered to lack the dynamism to be a good ODI player but has played on because of Sri Lanka's failure to find a reliable frontline spinner. It is important for Herath to call it quits now so that he can concentrate on Test cricket.

#4 Saeed Ajmal

Ajmal's career seems to be over

Saeed Ajmal one of the finest spinners in modern cricket to have played for Pakistan hit the headlines for the wrong reasons when he was banned for his bowling action in 2014. The ban was rather unfortunate for Ajmal because he had been in top form having been ranked by the ICC as the number one bowler in ODIs from November 2011 to December 2014.

Unable to correct his action soon enough, Ajmal made himself unavailable for selection in the 2015 World Cup. Even though he has been cleared to bowl again, he was not picked in the 16-member ODI squad that played Zimbabwe. The selectors instead decided to call Shoaib Malik back to the squad after a gap of nearly two years.

Ajmal might not get chances again in limited overs cricket. A great player's career should never end in such a tragic way, and that's why we believe that it would be better if he announces his retirement in advance before being completely ignored by the selectors.

#3 Marlon Samuels

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In and out of the ODI career, Marlon Samuels has enjoyed a late-career renaissance leading up to the World Cup. His undefeated 133 against Zimbabwe in the World Cup where he stitched together a mammoth partnership of 372 with Gayle will remain one of the high points of his career.

Known for his clean powerful hitting and his more than useful offspin bowling, Samuels who was once elicited ambitious comparisons with Viv Richards is considered by many to have not done justice to his potential. But he has made valuable contributions for the West Indies over the years now and it might not be a bad time for him to retire on a high while he is still in decent form with the bat

#2 Shane Watson

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Watson has suffered from rather indifferent form with both bat and ball for some time now. His exclusion from the side against Afghanistan in the World Cup led to much speculation that his ODI career was over. But he made a decent comeback against Sri Lanka and now hopes to be able to play for a few more years.

Though Watson called his knock of 64 against Pakistan in the quarter-finals the most important innings of his ODI career, his exclusion from the side earlier in the tournament against Afghanistan was not unjustifiable. He had scored just 220 runs in his last 10 ODI innings before that at a paltry average of 22.

His form slump has been quite prolonged for some time now and he does not by any stretch of imagination look the portent force with the bat or the ball as he once had been. At 34 having just won the World Cup, this may not be a bad time for Watson to quit ODIs and concentrate on test cricket.

#1 Tillakaratne Dilshan

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Tillakaratne Dilshan had a more than decent World Cup where he averaged an impressive 65.83 with the bat with his century against Scotland and the match where he hit Mitchell Johnson to all parts scoring 24 off an over. His 161 against Bangladesh in the tournament is now the highest individual score by any Sri Lankan in world cups.

Though the World Cup ended on a disappointing note for the Sir Lankans, it was expected that Dilshan would bow out on a high along with Jayawardene and Sangakkara. Having retired from Tests, Dilshan has recently revealed that he wants to keep playing for another 2-3 years and would look to forge some more successful partnerships at the top with Upul Tharanga. But it's unlikely that Dilshan can maintain the glorious form for far too long and his ambition to give himself a chance to play in the next World Cup looks rather far-fetched at the moment.