ICC World Cup 2019: 3 cricketers set to retire after the tournament

The much anticipated World Cup 2019 will be played in England. The hosts will take on South Africa in the opening game at Kennington Oval, London on 30th May 2019.

It's a 10-team event and each team will play the other nine teams, with the top four from the table qualifying for the semi finals. The final of the mega event will played at Lords on 14th July 2019.

The squads for the World Cup have not yet been announced, and every team is looking for the right combination. And it's always a tradition that the players who are expected to retire from the game of cricket choose the big stage to do so.

We have seen many cricketers announce their retirement in the past World Cups. This year, three players have already decided to hang up their boots on the big stage. Let's have a look at the three players who are set to retire after the 2019 World Cup.

#3 Jean-Paul Duminy

JPDuminy

The South African all-rounder has announced that he will retire from ODI cricket post the 2019 World Cup.

JP Duminy made his ODI debut way back in August 2004, against South Africa. The 34-year-old has been in and out of the side since then, and has played 182 ODIs and scored exactly 5000 runs with four centuries.

Duminy is also more than a useful part-time spinner for South Africa, and has taken 63 wickets. The left-hander has been a part of the team for both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups. During the 2011 World Cup he got dismissed for 99 against Ireland, becoming only the second cricketer after Adam Gilchrist to be dismissed at 99 in World Cup history.

Duminy also smashed a World Cup century against Zimbabwe in the 2015 World Cup. He would love to end his career on a high by winning the World Cup for South Africa.

#2 Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir

The South African leg-spinner is set to retire from ODI cricket after the 2019 World Cup. That means South Africa will see two cricketers bid farewell after their final game in the tournament.

Imran Tahir made his debut in the 2011 World Cup, and will end eight years later at the same tournament. The wrist spinner has played 85 ODI games so far in his short career and taken 139 wickets. He would be happy to finish his career with 150 ODI wickets.

During the 2015 World Cup quarter-final against Sri Lanka, Tahir took 4/26, which helped his team win their first ever World Cup knockout game. He was awarded the Man of the Match award for his match winning figures.

Duminy also became the first South African to take seven wickets in an ODI innings, when he took 7/45 against the West Indies in 2019. He would love to repeat his 2015 performance if South Africa qualify for the knockout stage in the 2019 World Cup.

#1 Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle

The big man announced that he would retire from international cricket after the 2019 World Cup.

The T20 superstar has had a fabulous career for West Indies. However, due to issues with the West Indies board, he was not seen much in international cricket in the last few years.

Chris Gayle made his international debut in 1999. He was the first player to score a double century in the World Cup, smashing 215 against Zimbabwe in the 2015 edition.

Gayle is also the first cricketer to score a century in a T20 international. He achieved this feat when he slammed 117 against South Africa in the inaugural World T20 tournament.

The Jamaican has scored 18,992 runs in international cricket, and is also the only cricketer to smash 500 sixes in international cricket. He has also taken more than 250 wickets in international cricket.

Gayle was in imperial form against England in the recently concluded ODI series. The big man loves the big stage, and hence we can expect some devastating knocks from him during the World Cup.

The cricketing will definitely miss one of greatest entertainers in cricket history after this year's mega event.