Cricket attracts a large number of spectators around the globe. The ICC has 10 full-time members, 39 associate members, and 56 affiliate members, which bring the total number of countries where cricket is played officially to 105.
Cricket requires determination and a heavy amount of sacrifice. There are only few who can meet that heavy expense of sacrifice and hard work. To succeed at International level, you need to perform regularly with same passion and spirit.
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International Cricket also requires a great amount of strength and temperament because, after a poor period on the field, a cricketer should have the temperament to come back in the team with magnificent performances. There are numerous players who made an astonishing comeback in the International arena after a bad phase in their career.
Here we look at the five Cricketers who suffered a bad period and made their comeback after a temporary break.
5. Shaun Tait
Due to his muscular build up and a brutal pace, Shaun Tait can terrorize any great batsman in the world. He made his Test debut in 2005 against England and his ODI debut against the same team in 2007.
After initial appearances in the International arena, people started comparing him with the great Jeff Thomson due to his ability to generate a huge amount of pace with a sling arm action and a short run-up.
The world marveled at the fast bowling of Tait in 2010 against England when he registered the speed of 160.7km/h and delivered the second fastest ball of all-time. Pundits and fans often criticize him due to his unpredictability but at his best, he can decimate any world class batting line-up.
His moment of glory came in ICC 2007 Cricket World Cup when he finished second highest wicket taker with 23 wickets at an average of 20.30 in 11 matches. However, his action and extreme pace proved very tough for his body and mind.
In 2008 Tait took an indefinite break from Cricket, citing physical and emotional exhaustion. He returned to International Cricket in 2008/09 season but due to horrific injuries in past, he then took an indefinite break from the Test Cricket as well to concentrate on the limited formats.
However, after an abortive World Cup campaign 2011, he retired from ODIs straight afterward and quit state cricket later that year. After his retirement from the ODI Cricket, Tait continues to impress everyone in the T20 format with his furious bowling.
4. Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick established himself as one of the best English opening batsmen. He was a prolific run getter in all forms of the game and also held a good reputation against the spin bowling as he scored heavy amounts of runs against the Asian Countries.
Ashes 2005 was a monumental series in the career of Marcus Trescothick. He smashed 431 runs in that English summer and took his team to one of the most astonishing series wins of all time before a stress-related illness took him over in the 2006 series against India.
The stress-related illness in 2006 caused him a lot of trouble that year. However, he made his comeback in International Cricket after a recovery period and played some exquisite knock but the same issue forced him to take retirement from International Cricket in 2008.
He Played 76 Tests and 123 ODI’s for the English side and scored more than 5000 runs in Test Cricket with an average of 43.79. After his retirement from International Cricket, he continues to play County Cricket in England for Somerset.
3. Shane Warne
Shane Warne needs no introduction to the world of Cricket. People always say he was controversial but no one can deny his ability and achievement in the International arena. He reinvented the most subtle art of Cricket. Again and again, he did extraordinary things in the most difficult of circumstances.
Warne made his debut for Australia in 1992 against India but the world saw the glimpse of his incredible ability in the first Test Match of 1993 Ashes series when he delivered the ball of the century to Mike Gatting and got his first wicket in the prestigious Ashes series.
After that delivery, he went on and became one of the finest bowlers of all time, Warne’s confidence and reputation grew match by match.
Warne was always surrounded by many controversies throughout his career and in 2003, the day before Australia’s first game of the ICC World Cup, it emerged that he tested positive for a banned drug. Warne was sent home in shame but in the March 2004, he came back to International Cricket in fine style as he became the second cricketer to take 500 Test wickets after Courtney Walsh in the first Test of a three-Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle.
He was the first bowler to take 700 wickets in Test Cricket and retired as the leading wicket-taker with 708 wickets in 2007.
2. Jonathan Trott
He was a late bloomer in English Cricket as he made his debut for them against Australia in 2009 Ashes series and became the 18th player for England to made a century on test debut. Trott provided much-needed stability to the English batting line-up after his impressive performance on debut.
He belongs to the breed of Cricketers who were born in South Africa and then went to play International Cricket for the English side. Trott was instrumental for England as they retained the Ashes in 2010/11 where he smacked staggering 445 runs in the series.
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Trott was uncomfortable against the short ball in the 2013\14 Ashes as he was bewildered by the thunderbolts of Mitchell Johnson and returned home in middle of the series due to mental illness. Trott made his comeback after that debacle in the Royal London ODI tournament but after the series against West Indies, he announced his retirement from International Cricket and the reason was mental stress.
1. Mohammad Amir
Considered as the new avatar of Wasim Akram, Mohammad Amir has faced many ups and downs throughout his career. In his first year in Pakistan’s domestic cricket, in the year 2009, he took 55 wickets and secured his place in the Pakistan squad for ICC T20 WC 2009.
He consistently bowled at speeds of around 145kmph and even reached 152kmph in the final against Sri Lanka.
His remarkable credentials with the ball have forced pace legend, Wasim Akram, to say that Amir is much more clever than he was at 18. His ability to swing the ball in both ways and craft lethal yorkers made him a hot property at a very young age.
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In February 2011, however, he was banned by ICC for his involvement in a spot-fixing scam where it was proved that he had bowled deliberate no-ball in a test match.
He has been in tremendous form since his return from a five-year exile from international cricket. In Asia Cup against India, he bowled a blistering spell which was applauded by numerous cricketers and experts.
Though the recent England tour was disastrous for him with the ball, he still has a long way to go as he is only 24 years old and one can only hope that his story goes on to script more chapters in Pakistan’s Cricket folklore.
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