Legendary cricketing pairs who played their last match together (Post-2000) 

While some cricketers always have that extra bit of talent, the game becomes all the more exciting when you have two such players in the same team. And you would be surprised to know that some of the greatest pairings in history played their last game together.

The list includes some of the game's highest run scorers, some of the highest wicket-takers and big-tournament winners. Let's have a look.

---

Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis (Played Last International Together)

Two of the finest quick bowlers the game has ever seen, Pakistan was fortunate to have the two W's right through the late 80's and 90's. While Waqar would crush toes and break helmets with his late swing and pace, Wasim could bamboozle batsmen with six variations in the same over. They were the first two bowlers to 400 ODI wickets, have a great World Cup track record and have 1,705 international wickets between them.

The two legends were eventually forced to retire after the team's poor display at the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Their last game was against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. Ironically, the game was abandoned after Pakistan batted for 14 overs, and neither Wasim nor Waqar got a chance to bat or bowl.

Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath (Played Last Test together)

Warne & McGrath finished things leaving little to be desired

While one is rated among the finest of seam bowlers, the other is rated among the best spinners to have graced the game. Legend has it that Australia dominated cricket when both its bowling heroes were fit and raring to go. With Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, Australia won Test series in all parts of the world, and won numerous ODI tournaments including the 1999 Cricket World Cup (McGrath was also part of the 2003 and 2007 winning teams).

They were both part of a disappointing Ashes tour of England in 2005, and decided to finish their Test careers together, regaining the Ashes urn in 2006-07, winning the series 5-0. Of the 1945 international wickets between them, 1271 of those came in Tests. McGrath made his dear friend more proud in the ODIs that followed, winning yet another World Cup in his last international outing and finishing as man-of-the-tournament.

Rahul Dravid & VVS Laxman (Played Last International together)

VVS Laxman & Rahul Dravid: They wrote-anticlimaxes to powerful scripts

If a list of the 'Greatest Indian Test Batsmen' is prepared even fifty years from today, it would be a shame if either of these two legends misses out. With the bat, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were the torch-bearers of Indian cricket's golden age in Test cricket. With both of them in the side, India won two Test matches each in Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka, a first Test series in Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, and first Test series wins in England, New Zealand and West Indies in decades.

While India were near-invincible at home during their careers, the trademark of their partnerships were huge runs against top teams in tough situations. Two of their best partnerships - both 300-plus stands - came against Australia.

The first, regarded as a game changer in India's cricketing fortunes, was when India were 1-0 down in the 2001 series, following on in the second Test, against a World Champion side coming off a 15-match winning streak.

The second such partnership came in 2003 in Australia at Adelaide - the home team scored a gigantic 556 batting first, and India lost their first four wickets for 85. Their partnership was so effective that not only did India win a Test match in Australia after 22 years, it still remains one of the highest first Innings score a side batting first (Australia) has made in a losing cause.

VVS and Rahul were both parts of the disastrous tour of Australia in 2011-12, where both played all the four matches and failed to score runs. While Dravid announced his retirement immediately after the series, VVS announced his retirement just before India's next Test match against New Zealand, which was going to be played at his home ground in Hyderabad. The Adelaide Test in January 2012 proved to be the last international game of both the player's careers.

Michael Clarke & Mitchell Johnson (Played Last ODI together)

Clarke & Johnson: Led the batting and bowling attacks respectively during testing times for their country

With both these players in the squad, Australia won two World Cups (2007 and 2015) and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006 (Australia also won the 2009 Champions Trophy with Johnson in the team, but Clarke had to return home due to injury). They were both establishing their presence in the side when Australia were already World Champions, but soon the champions were up against something unforeseen - a bad run of form and the retirement of its greatest players - Hayden, Gilchrist, Martyn, Symonds, McGrath, Warne, Langer, Gillespie and eventually Ponting as well.

After failing to win the World Cup for the first time after 15 years in 2011, Clarke was made captain. With Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee retiring the next year, Clarke also became the senior batsman and Johnson the senior bowler. Australia's fortunes were revived during the 2013-14 Ashes, when Johnson's 37 wickets and Clarke's 370-odd runs resulted in a 5-0 drubbing of England and an Ashes win after 8 years. The two cricketers finished on a high-note with Australia winning the 2015 World Cup and both playing crucial roles in the big games.

The World Cup final was also the last ODI for both players.

Mahela Jayawardene & Kumar Sangakkara (Played Last ODI and Last T20I Together)

Sanga and Mahela - A partnership made in Heaven?

The fact that Sri Lankan cricket has not been able to challenge the world's top sides in the last three years just explains how crucial these two legends were to their country. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara's pairing has already been written in golden words in the pages of cricketing history. Their batting, fielding skills, as well as captaincy in all formats, made Sri Lanka a serious threat for any opposition during the first two decades of this century.

They still hold the record for the highest partnership for any wicket in Test cricket - against the most dominant Test team of that era - South Africa. Their perseverance in Test cricket was again rewarded when their team finally managed to win a full Test series in England in 2014, with just one ball to spare.

A similar thing happened in limited overs cricket a few months prior. They were both a part of two 50-over World Cup and two World T20 final losses each, with both captaining the sides twice each. Their fifth ICC tournament final was grace-saving to say the least, they won it with Sangakkara winning man of the match.

Ironically, the captain this time was Lasith Malinga. Both immediately retired from the shortest format. The last ball of the last ODI they both played in Sri Lanka resulted in a wicket involving both, with Mahela surprisingly bowling the ball and Sangakkara happily affecting a stumping.

While they both decided to end their Test careers the following season, albeit in different series, they decided to make a final attempt by winning their country their second ODI World Cup, since neither had made their debut back when their country won it in 1996. While ICC World Cup 2015 was Mahela's fifth and Sanga's fourth World Cup, they faced a humiliating loss in the quarter-final against South Africa, which happened to be the last ODI game for both legends.

Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan (Played last International Together)

Misbah and Younis - Tough Men for the tough days

Around the time these two cricketers made their debut for Pakistan, the team was full of greats and initially, both struggled to find a permanent place. While Younis found his place in the side just in time before the 2003 World Cup, Misbah's importance was realized after Inzamam's retirement following a dismal 2007 World Cup, with stunning displays in the inaugural World T20 and the Test series in India.

Both Misbah and Younis had the potential to strike the ball big and long, but opted to be the accumulators rather than dashers - just the steady pillars Pakistan cricket needed in those dire times. Pakistan won their first ICC tournament in 17 years - the 2009 World T20 - with Younis as captain and Misbah contributing when needed. While both took their team to respectable positions in the two World Cups that followed, the fact that their Test team today is again a feared opposition has Mis-You to thank.

Misbah's captaincy led the Test team to resurrection, with series wins in Sri Lanka and West Indies, and a hard-fought 2-2 drawn Test series in England towards the end of their career, and both players contributed highly. Pakistan were unbeatable with UAE as their Test base, and the 3rd Test against West Indies in May 2017 was Mis-You's last.

Matthew Hayden & Adam Gilchrist (Played Last ODI together)

Hayden & Gilchrist - Arguably the best ODI opening pair!

The Ganguly-Tendulkar partnership won India many matches, and finished ODI cricket as the best opening partnership statistically. But there hasn't been an opening partnership as attacking and lethal as that of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden. Attacking strokeplay apart, they complemented each other really well. Their nimble running between the wickets frustrated oppositions like anything. So much so, that if the ball went either side of any fielder in the circle, by the time the fielder stood up, the ends had changed.

Mark Waugh was certainly not in the form of his life when Matthew Hayden was promoted to open the innings alongside Adam Gilchrist. With these two in the squad, Australia won several tournaments - including two ICC World Cups, multiple triangular tournaments in Australia, a tri-series in India, a tri-series in England and many more ODI tournaments in their most dominant era. The pair was so effective, that in both World Cup finals - 2003 and 2007 - the match had been won in the first 15-overs as they put on 100-plus opening stands in quick time on both occasions.

Adam Gilchrist announced his retirement from international cricket just after the end of the 2008 home Test series in India, stating that the following Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series would be his last international outing. While the pair fired throughout the tournament, Australia failed to win the best-of-three finals, losing the first final at Sydney and the second final at Brisbane.

While Hayden was available for ODI selection, injuries and rotation policy deprived Hayden of another chance in one-dayers. He announced his retirement from all formats at the end of the home Test series against South Africa later that year, and Gilchrist's last ODI also turned out to be Haydos's swansong.

Mohammad Rafique & Habibul Bashar (Played Last ODI for country together)

Habibul Bashar & Mohammad Rafique: The veterans who ensured Bangladesh Cricket would be respected

They've been there and seen it all. If Bangladesh's cricket team is a force to reckon with today, they have these stalwarts to thank for. Their statistics might not speak of their greatness, but the effect of their presence on the team's fortunes certainly does. After Bangladesh's sporadic appearances during the early 90s, a decent run during the 1999 World Cup and associate tournaments around that time meant that Bangladesh was up for its biggest challenge yet - justifying a newly rewarded Test-playing status.

During the first half of the 2000s, their team seldom looked a threatening opposition. But a certain boxing day ODI against India in 2004 changed Bangladesh cricket forever. What followed was their first ever Test series win, one-day victories against Australia and Sri Lanka, and an odd surprise here and there.

But the 2007 World Cup proved that their team had finally arrived, with wins against South Africa, India and Bermuda. Habibul, their captain throughout this phase, and Rafique, who attacked with both bat and ball - were almost always at the helm of affairs.

With fresh talent all around, they knew they were past their prime, and the 2nd ODI (the last of the series) in 2007 against India at home, was their last. Rafique played in a couple of games in the Afro-Asia Cup the following month, representing Asia, but his last ODI for his country was the same as that of his captain.