5 players who had short but effective careers

Cricket has witnessed the enthralling show of greats such as Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman, Wasim Akram and many more such players, who have given the game their everything and lived the sport. But there are other players who were not fortunate enough to continue their cricketing careers till their prime.Injuries, poor form and various other factors have cut short the careers of many a player. But still, among such cricketers, are a few who have made a resounding impact, though their presence on the international stage was short-lived.Here is a look at 5 such cricketers, who had a short stint but left a lasting impression through their zeal and talent.

#5 Simon Jones

Simon Jones celebrates a dismissal during the 4^th Ashes Test in 2015

The English pacer shot to fame with his laudable bowling performance, which was one of the key factors in England's triumphant Ashes outing in 2005. He represented England in just 18 Tests, claiming 59 wickets. His pace and mastery of reverse-swing fetched accolades from all quarters.

But the baggage of serious injuries that he was forced to contend with came in the way of his career. Unable to ever recover from injuries completely, he was not selected in the English squad after 2005. He thus enjoyed his days under the sun for a very short span of 4 years and has not played international cricket since.

#4 Ryan Harris

Ryan Harris bowls against India in January 2015

The famed pacer from Australia was known for taking wickets by the heap. He represented the land down under in 27 Tests, claiming 113 wickets. His ODI performance was not bad either, wherein he accumulated 44 wickets from the 21 matches that he played.

But the varied kinds of injuries that he succumbed to from time to time, cut short his days on the field with the baggy green cap. Adding to these woes, was the fact that he debuted at the age of 29, which did not augur well for him to extend his career beyond a certain point of time. He finally hung up his boots in 2015, having contributed to Australian cricket as a player for just 6 years.

#3 Vinod Kambli

Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar during the 1993 Test at Calcutta

The Indian cricketer of yesteryear was not short of being capable as a frontline batsman, but his form suffered a downfall as the years progressed. Playing alongside the great Sachin Tendulkar, Kambli failed to match up to the qualities of his partner, which cut short his career. Though he represented India in 104 ODIs, he scored only at an average of 32.59 – much lower than Tendulkar’s average of 44.83 from 463 matches.

Kambli boasts of a superior Test average of 54.20, compared to the idol of Indian cricket’s average of 53.78. But then, Kambli had played just 17 Test matches, while Tendulkar played an incredible 200 Tests.

Lack of dedication to the sport and his inability to change his game to adapt to all kinds of deliveries may have attributed to his dwindling form, which pushed this cricketer into the decision of calling it quits in 2000.

#2 Stuart MacGill

Stuart Macgill fields for Australia in 2008

The classy spinner from Australia was one of the best leg spinners the cricketing world has ever seen. Stuart MacGill’s record with the ball is astoundingly impressive, which makes one wonder why this talent had to hang up his boots within 10 years of playing the game. His tally of 208 wickets from just 44 Tests leaves little to no doubt regarding his capability or consistency.

Cricket has seen a few unlucky cricketers, who debuted at the wrong times and were forced to play under the shadows of the greats. MacGill was one such victim, whose luck fared worse as he played alongside the Aussie great Shane Warne.

Warne’s magical show with the ball was the highlight of the time, due to which MacGill was sidelined and hardly ever noticed. With Australia deciding not to field both leggies together, the latter’s misfortune steadily rose, and he was finally forced to retire in 2008.

#1 Shane Bond

Shane Bond in actio for KKR in the 2010 IPL

The legendary cricketer hailing from New Zealand, rose to fame right from his debut ODI, where he rattled the glorious Aussie top order, claiming the prized wickets of Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Michael Bevan. He thus announced his entry in style and was never short of delivering his best on the field ever since. Representing NZ in 82 ODIs, he amassed 147 wickets. Australia was his favourite opponent, against whom he succeeded in accumulating 44 wickets from as few as 17 ODIs.

His Test career was much shorter in terms of number of matches played. NZ were fortunate enough to avail the services of the injury-prone Shane Bond only in 18 Tests. Despite his short run, he gulped away wickets by the wink, claiming 87 scalps to his name.

The constant ravage of injuries cut short his cricketing career, as he retired from all forms of cricket in 2010 – merely 9 years since he debuted as a Black Cap. The legacy left behind by the star of the last decade will always be a crown jewel in the history of cricket. Bond’s stunning speed and accuracy with the ball would forever remain difficult to be paralleled by the newer generation of speedsters.