5 stars who announced their international retirement in 2018

2018 seems to have been a year of retirements - from several India domestic stars to some of the biggest names in world cricket, the game has lost a lot of talent over the last 10 months or .

Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath recently declared that he would retire from international cricket after the first Test against England, bringing an end to a long and fruitful career. However, he is not the only big name to retire from the game recently.

In India, several known names, such as Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Parwinder Awana et al decided to hang up their boots. Across the world, there were other players like Niall O'Brien, Jonathan Trott, Nick Compton, Abdur Rehman, amongst others, who decided they had had enough with the game.

While the list is diverse, there were several big names, who were popular over the years, but won't be continuing their cricket journey next year.

Here are the other big names who took the call to retire from international cricket this year.

#5 Alastair Cook

England v India: Specsavers 5th Test - Day Five

At one point, Cook was cruising along at the rate of knots towards Sachin Tendulkar's seemingly untouchable Test numbers. When in peak form (and it happened quite a few times in his career), Cook was the biggest enemy for bowlers, especially because of his ability to stay put in the middle for hours and not lose his concentration.

He retired as England's most successful batsman and a modern-day great, stepping back at just the right time, while being in decent form with the bat. His contribution at the top of the order for England cricket will be hard to emulate.

A legend at Essex, Cook hung up his boots at 33, with 12472 Test runs to his name.

#4 Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif of India on his way to a century in the ICC CT in 2002

While Mohammad Kaif's international career did not quite soar after the NatWest win in 2002, he was still a very popular player over the years, despite not playing for India since 2006.

A livewire on the field and a trusted bat in the middle order, Kaif was part of Indian cricket's renaissance in the early 2000s, and one of Sourav Ganguly's beloved in his tribe of youngsters. Someone who brought the fielding culture in an Indian team filled with dropping shoulders, Kaif's contribution at backward point and cover while playing for India cannot be missed.

He decided to retire exactly 16 years after the NatWest triumph, the day when he had become a household name in India. He had won the Ranji Trophy for Uttar Pradesh, and also played for Chattisgarh.

#3 Morne Morkel

South Africa v Australia - 3rd Test: Day 4

The lanky fast bowler was not exactly in the mould of pacers unearthed by South Africa generally - more than being an out and out quickman, Morkel was a silent troublemaker who used his height to telling effect to bowl uncomfortable lengths at batsmen. Fuelled with a desire to excel despite not being fearsome or a major mover of the ball, Morkel perfectly complemented Dale Steyn in helping South Africa script success over the years.

He made his debut in 2006 and picked up in excess of 300 wickets, no mean feat for a bowler in the age of T20s. Apart from his 86 Tests, he also played 117 ODIs for the Proteas squad and played his last international game against Australia in the infamous series in March this year.

Despite injury concerns here and there, Morkel was always identified as a bowler with a big heart and also played in the IPL, the last of which was in 2016.

#2 Dwayne Bravo

Trinbago Knight Riders v St Kitts and Nevis Patriots - 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Tournament

He has done it all on the cricket field, and his enthusiasm never dropped a bit - Dwayne Bravo was West Indies' smiling assassin before his squabbles with his country's cricket board truncated his international career.

A genuine bowling all-rounder who could bat well lower down the order, Bravo made his mark in T20 leagues around the world for his ability to take wickets out of nowhere with his gentle medium-pace and variations.

He last played an ODI for the West Indies in 2014, during the controversial series against India, and played T20Is till 2016. A part of the Chennai Super Kings for several years, he will continue to play domestic T20s around the world, following the likes of Shahid Afridi and Shane Watson, who play the shortest format despite having retired from international cricket.

#1 AB de Villiers

South Africa v Australia - 4th Test: Day 1

Perhaps the biggest loss to world cricket was the retirement of AB de Villiers, one of the best strokemakers in the game over the last decade and a half. De Villiers' ability to change the complexion of the game out of nowhere made him one of the superstars of the game, and one of South Africa's brightest talents and guiding forces in the last 10 years.

Several big South African names decided to hang their boots since De Villiers' debut, and the right-handed batsman has made sure that the void has been filled over the years, first as a youngster in the side and later as a senior statesman.

His retirement came out of the blue, days after his side Royal Challengers Bangalore crashed out of IPL 2018, and a year ahead of the World Cup, one of his biggest dreams to achieve as a cricketer, and an unfulfilled one at that.