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Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal surprised the cricketing nation after his shock retirement announcement on Thursday (6 July). The ODI captain held a press conference to announce his retirement from all forms of the game, calling it quits on a 16-year-long career.
The decision came a day after his side lost in the first game of a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. The 34-year-old didn't state his reasons for the announcement, simply saying that he wanted the focus to remain on his side.
Having made his debut in 2007, Tamim Iqbal has amassed 8,313 runs, including 14 hundreds, in his ODI career. He is also the leading run-scorer in the format for Bangladesh, cementing himself as one of the legends in his country.
His announcement came as a shock, considering the ODI World Cup in India is only three months away. However, in a bizarre turn of events, it has been confirmed that he has reversed his decision and will join the team after a six-week break.
This isn't the first time a player has made a U-turn on their decision to retire from the game. There have been a few instances over the years of players doing the same. Here, we take a look at five cricketers who took a U-turn on their decision to retire:
#1 Shahid Afridi
There are few cricketers in the world who bring the kind of excitement to the cricket field that 'Boom Boom' did. There are none better at having a love affair with retirements than Shahid Afridi though.
The legendary Pakistan all-rounder announced his retirement on multiple occasions. He first announced his retirement in 2011, before going back on it. In 2017, he again called it quits, before returning to play for the Rest of the World XI in West Indies in 2018. It was after this match the he finally called it quits.
Having played 27 Tests, 398 ODIs, and 99 T20Is for Pakistan, he is one of the all-time greats who takes the top spot on this list.
#2 Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo is one of the most well-known West Indian cricketers in the world, courtesy of his exploits on and off the field. The champion all-rounder made a shock retirement from international cricket in 2018 and missed out on the ODI World Cup in the following year.
He had the desire to represent his squad in the T20 World Cup in 2021 and found a place in the West Indies squad. Known for his T20 exploits around the globe, the Chennai Super Kings star played his final international game against Australia in the T20 World Cup in 2021 before confirming his retirement.
#3 Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali is a vital part of the England white-ball setup that has been immensely successful in recent years. However, the all-rounder announced his retirement from the longest format of the game in September 2021, citing workload management as one of the big reasons.
The 35-year-old made a welcome return to Test cricket only recently, returning to the side for the ongoing Ashes series after England captain Ben Stokes convinced him. "LOL" is all Moeen had to say to confirm his decision after Jack Leach was ruled out of the series due to an injury.
#4 Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen was arguably one of the best all-format batters England have produced in recent times, making his mark in all three formats. A pure entertainer with his batting exploits, KP announced his retirement from the white-ball formats in 2011.
However, he made a quick U-turn on his announcement, but issues between him and England Cricket Board persisted for a little while. Pietersen eventually hung his boots in 2018, leaving all forms of the game.
#5 Imran Khan
The legendary Pakistan captain is one of the greatest cricketers the country has ever produced. The all-rounder announced his retirement after the World Cup in 1987. In one of the fairytale returns, Imran Khan made a return to the side ahead of the World Cup in 1992.
The rest, as they say, is history. After Pakistan Prime Minister Zia-ul-Haq convinced him to make a U-turn on his decision, he scripted history and led Pakistan to their first and their only, till now, World Cup win.
Not only that, he also became the Prime Minister of the country later, which suggests life has a funny way of working itself out.
