Playing XI of cricketers who retired in 2021

2021 was an eventful year for cricketers. Many big series and tournaments happened in the cricket world this year. The biggest one being the ICC T20 World Cup that took place in the Middle East.

Test cricket got a world champion for the first time as New Zealand won the inaugural World Test Championship. It was a memorable year for Indian cricketers as well. Playing under Virat Kohli's leadership, India took a 2-1 series lead in an away Test series against England.

While there were many happy moments on the field, there were some off-field decisions taken by senior players that broke the hearts of their fans. Many players called it a day on their careers in 2021, and here's a playing XI comprising such cricketers.

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Openers - Upul Tharanga and Naman Ojha

Upul Tharanga is one of the few Sri Lankan cricketers to have scored more than 9,000 runs

Left-handed top-order batter Upul Tharanga retired from international cricket on February 23, 2021. The 36-year-old scored 9,112 runs in 292 international games for Sri Lanka. He even captained his nation in 20 ODIs and six T20Is.

Indian wicket-keeper batter Naman Ojha ended his international career on February 15, 2021. Ojha was extremely talented but he could play only four international games for India, scoring 69 runs.

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Middle Order - Brendan Taylor (WK), Asghar Afghan (C) and AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers will go down as one of the most innovative cricketers in the game's history

Former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor announced his retirement in September 2021. Taylor aggregated 9,938 international runs in 284 appearances for his country. He also took 122 catches and executed 31 stumpings behind the stumps.

One of the most successful skippers in T20I cricket history, Asghar Afghan ended his international career during the ICC T20 World Cup. Afghan played his last match against Namibia and signed off on a winning note. Overall, he scored 4,246 runs in 195 games for Afghanistan.

AB de Villiers shocked the cricket universe by hanging up his boots after IPL 2021. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore star scored over 20,000 international runs and more than 5,000 runs in the IPL.

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All Rounders - Ryan ten Doeschate, Yusuf Pathan and Dwayne Bravo

Ryan ten Doeschate played a vital in the Netherlands' rise in the cricket world. The pace-bowling all-rounder scored 1,541 runs in 32 ODI innings at an average of 67. He scored 533 runs and picked up 13 wickets in 24 T20Is. Like Asghar Afghan, ten Doeschate played his last match in the T20 World Cup.

2007 T20 World Cup winner Yusuf Pathan ended his career on February 27, 2021. The all-rounder aggregated 1,046 runs and scalped 46 wickets in 79 international appearances for India.

One of the most successful cricketers in the game's history, Dwayne Bravo completes the all-rounders' section. Bravo quit international cricket after the T20 World Cup 2021 with 6,423 runs and 363 wickets to his name in the West Indies jersey.

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Bowlers - Harbhajan Singh, Dale Steyn and Lasith Malinga

Harbhajan Singh will lead the spin attack of the retired cricketers' team. Like Yusuf Pathan, Singh won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ICC World Cup as part of the Indian squad. The 41-year-old retired earlier this month with 711 international wickets to his name.

The destructive duo of Dale Steyn and Lasith Malinga will lead the pace attack of the retired cricketers XI. While Steyn took 699 international wickets for South Africa, Malinga bagged 546 wickets in Sri Lankan colors.

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Retired Cricketers XI of 2021

Upul Tharanga, Naman Ojha, Brendan Taylor (WK), Asghar Afghan (C), AB de Villiers, Ryan ten Doeschate, Yusuf Pathan, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Dale Steyn.