Three Bowlers who retired from Test cricket at a very young age

Test cricket has always been the one that has provided a proper fight between the bat and ball, unlike the other two formats where the bowler is taken for runs. In this format, it is important for the batsmen to respect the bowler and play himself in. This is true especially in conditions that have a lot to offer to the bowlers. With the Test Championships beginning on August 1st, the players have to adapt to the transition from ODI to the Tests.

The bowlers around the world will play a crucial role for their team to win the championships. We have seen India performing well in the recent past because of their bowling department delivering in every Test match. Similarly, Australia and England have been a formidable force in the longer format because of their bowling line-up. But teams like Sri Lanka and Pakistan have found it difficult to perform consistently due to injuries and early retirements. The early retirement from some of their players have created a void that is tough to fill in. Let us have a look at three bowlers who retired from Tests at a very early age.

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#3 Zafar Ansari

Zafar Ansari

Zafar Ansari is a former England cricketer who bowled left-arm off-spin and batted down the order. He played for Surrey in the English county from 2010 to 2017 taking 128 first-class wickets in 71 games. He was also handy with the bat playing the anchor role down the order. He made his international debut against Ireland in a rain abandoned match which unfortunately turned out to be his only ODI in his career.

He was part of the squad that was to tour the UAE to play against Pakistan. But an injury forced him out of the team. He finally got the call to play against Bangladesh in the second test where he took two wickets and scored 13 runs. He then went on to play two Tests against India where he dismissed Ajinkya Rahane and Ravi Ashwin in the first test. A back injury ruled him out from the rest of the tour. After that, he never featured in a single international game and announced his retirement in April 2017 at the age of 25.

#2 Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir

Pakistan has always produced some of the best left-handed pacers from Wasim Akram to Shaheen Afridi. One such talent that came into the limelight was Mohammad Amir. He was recognized by Akram at a camp that opened doors for him to play for the U-19 team. His impressive show earned him a place in the national squad when he debuted in the 2009 T20 World Cup. Pakistan went on to lift the trophy with Amir playing in all matches. He made his Test debut in the series against Sri Lanka where he dismissed two great batsmen Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

He continued his successful run against the Kiwis and Aussies. In the summer of 2010, Amir became the youngest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in England. But he became the victim of spot-fixing and was handed a five-year ban from international cricket. He returned to test cricket in 2016 after serving the punishment where he was back to his best. He played a couple of test series against Australia, New Zealand, England, and the Proteas. Due to personal reasons forced him to retire from Test cricket at an early age of 27. He finished with 119 wickets at an average of 30.40.

#1 Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga

He is that kind of a bowler who can defend 3 runs in the final over of the match by continuously bowling toe-crushing yorkers. He is the best death bowler of this era. He is none other than Lasith Malinga. Known for his unorthodox action, he made his international debut against Australia in 2004 where he made his mark by taking six wickets in the match. He cemented his spot because of the pace and the extra bounce he generated from the pitch. His 2006 season with the red ball was phenomenal with inspiring performance against the Kiwis.

This helped him emerge as the front-line pacer for the team. Besides, he was also the best bowler for Sri Lanka in ODIs and T20s in that period. Despite being the greatest Sri Lankan fast bowler ever in the limited format, Malinga has retired from Tests to maintain his fitness and to focus on limited-overs cricket. He was just 28 years of age when he bid adieu and had played in just 30 Tests taking 101 wickets during the course.