5 cricketers whose careers were ended by the ICL

There was a time in cricket when a league named the Indian Cricket League was introduced, which introduced the franchise system in cricket. It was intended to nurture the young talents from all over the world and to provide a platform to the veteran cricketers to return to the game.The league made a promising start in its first season and the fans were also involved in following the games. But later it turned out to be a horror for both the players and the organizers. BCCI and ICC did not support any part of the tournament and it was termed as the rebel league. The cricket boards from different countries begun to put bans on their players so as to stop them from participating in the league.Joining the ICL turned out to be the worst decision of the careers for most of the players.Here are the 5 amongst them who ruined their careers by getting associated with the ICL

#1 Aftab Ahmed

Aftab Ahmed was a promising Bangladeshi cricketer whose rise was cut short by his involvement in the ICL

Bangladesh has been a part of the international cricket circuit for a close to 3 decades now. They have not tasted a lot of success since then mostly because of the quality of the cricketers from the country. There have been only a few cricketers from Bangladesh who could match the talents from other cricketing nations.

Aftab Ahmed was certainly amongst those bright stars from the country that had the potential to make it big. He made his international debut at an age of 19 in an ODI against South Africa at Birmingham. He played 85 ODIs, 16 tests and 11 T20s for Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh cricket board had imposed a ban of 10 years on the players who joined the rebel ICL. He was amongst those players. Later, though he did quit the league and made himself available for national selection, the prime of his career was gone and he struggled to make an impact in his second stint with the national squad. He retired at a very young age of 29 which meant that yet another talent from Bangladesh failed to prosper.

#2 Rohan Gavaskar

Rohan Gavaskar’s sole half century came against Zimbabwe in 2004

The son of the great Little Master Sunil Gavaskar, Rohan drew a lot of expectations from the Indian fans. People followed his early career very closely to see what the son of the great man can do.

He did make an entry into the Indian squad on the tour to Australia in 2004. He failed to make a big impression on the tour. He managed just one half century on the tour which remained his solitary fifty in the entire international career. Although his first class numbers were impressive with an average of 44.19, he played only 11 ODIs for India and his international career lasted for just 8 months.

In 2007, Rohan joined the ICL and still could not leave a lasting impression there. He was one of the 71 players who were granted amnesty by the BCCI. He was available for selection in the national squad, but failed to make it. He later played a few matches in the IPL before announcing his retirement in 2012.

#3 Justin Kemp

Justin Kemp lost his best years in the non-recognition of the ICL

The former South African captain and a hard hitting batsman, was at the peak of his career when he became a part of the ICL. He was known for batting at the rate of knots and for his match finishing abilities. But the decision to join the ICL turned out be a career ruining one.

He played 85 ODIs for South Africa. Batting in the middle and lower order, he averaged 31.50 with a strike rate of 83.12. Apart from that, he represented his side in 4 tests and 8 T20s.

When the ban was lifted from him, he came back in the national team but it was not at all similar to what he had achieved earlier. He had lost two of the most promising years in the ICL and his career diverted from what could have been a big one.

#4 Mohammad Sami

Mohammad Sami could have proved to be one of Pakistan’s greatest ever fast bowlers

Pakistan has always produced massive bowling talents and he certainly was one of those. He was one of the fastest bowlers in the world during the prime of his career. He would run in hard and hit the deck hard producing lovely out-swingers.

He has picked up 220 wickets in his international career since his debut in 2001. So far he has played 36 tests, 87 ODIs and 7 T20s for Pakistan. He made a comeback into the Pakistan T20I squad very recently against Zimbabwe when cricket resumed in the country after many years.

He is still active in cricket but he is no more the bowler once he used to be. If only he had not joined the ICL, he could have been standing amongst the top pacers that the country has ever seen.

#5 Shane Bond

Shane Bond’s careers is one of the most tragic ever

His story is one the most tragic stories of all time in cricket. He was once termed as the best fast bowler of New Zealand ever and later as a traitor by the New Zealand cricket board for joining the ICL.

It was a dream start to his international career as the world saw a tall fast bowler bowling at over 150 km an hour and crushing the toes of the batsmen with his big in-swingers. A career that was marred by injuries, still his international record is amazing. He picked up 87 wickets in just 18 tests at an average of 22.09. And in the ODIs, the numbers are even better with an average of 20.88 and 147 wickets in 82 matches. Besides these he played 20 T20s as well.

After the ban was lifted, he returned to the New Zealand team for a few years but the injuries always proved to be nightmares for him. He later played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL for a short duration.