5 great players who came out of retirement

Retirement is unfortunately something every player must face, no matter how much he loves the game. Many cricketers go on to become coaches or try some other pursuit they did not have time for while they were following the hectic schedule of international cricket. But then there are those, who retire – but come back in style. The charm of the gentleman’s game is too much to resist, it seems. For some, it is a wise decision; for most, it is a short-lived mistake.Here are our favourite five comebacks after retirements.

#1 Shahid Afridi

Afridi’s Test comeback was shortlived

Afridi probably holds the record for retiring the most number of times. In 2010, he was made the Test captain of the Pakistan side, and after just a single match, he quit. His reasons were lack of form and inability to play the longer version of the game. He next retired right after he led Pakistan to the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup.

Oh, and this is not it. After being replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq as skipper, Afridi again announced retirement, citing differences with coach Waqar. He came back after that too. He has been criticized by Imran Khan for this practice of his.

Khan called Afridi’s retirement a ‘joke’. All this aside, Afridi is a phenomenal player. He is known for his aggressive batting style and his right arm leg spin. He also holds the record of having hit the most number of sixes in the history of ODI cricket, and the longest ever six in the history of cricket. He has retired from ODI Cricket now, and has revealed that he would quitting from T20 as well next year after the World Cup in India.

#2 Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen’s career was marred by controversies

In May 2011, Pietersen announced his retirement from limited-overs cricket. Born South African, he is considered one of England’s prolific run-getters. He has the distinction of being the fastest batsman to reach both the 1,000 and 2,000 mark in ODIs.

He has been called “England’s greatest modern batsman” by the Guardian. He has had issues with the ECB and coach Peter Moores. He announced his comeback just a few months after his retirement, saying that he is committed to playing for England in all forms of cricket. His relationship with the ECB never really recovered, and he was eventually told that he was no longer being considered for selection.

#3 Imran Khan

Imran came back to win the World Cup for Pakistan

Imran Khan is widely acknowledged as Pakistan’s most successful cricket captain. He retired after the 1987 World Cup. Pakistan’s President, Zia Ul Haq, wanted him to come back to cricket and on popular demand, he made a comeback in 1992, at the age of 39.

He then led his team to their first and only World Cup victory. He has been inducted in the ICC Hall of Fame. He is also one of the eight cricketers in the world to to achieve an ‘All-rounder’s triple’ in Tests.

He has found a lot of success as a politician in Pakistan, with the Globe Post mentioning him in a list of the top nine leaders of the world in 2012 – his name was right below Barack Obama and above Hilary Clinton, Kim Jong Un, Aung San Suu Kyi and others. Easily the most successful comeback in cricket.

#4 Carl Hooper

Carl Hooper came back to lead the Windies

Hooper is one of those players that change the whole international cricketing scenario when they come into the arena. Making an impressive debut on Brian Lara’s side, Hooper made the West Indies team quite strong.

He was erratic, but there’s no doubt that he had great talent – Hooper holds the record of being the first cricketer in the world to have scored 5,000 runs, taken 100 wickets, held 100 catches and received 100 caps in both ODIs and Tests.

In all these years, apart from Jacques Kallis, no one has been able to match this feat. Which is everyone was stunned when he suddenly announced his retirement out of the blue, three weeks before the World Cup. There are many theories as to why he quit suddenly, but he left the selectors in the lurch.

He came back from retirement in 2001, at a time when the West Indies team were playing abysmally. He also led the West Indies side in the 2003 World Cup. West Indies did not perform well, and Hooper was replaced.

#5 Javed Miandad

All it took was 10 days for Miandad to reconsider his decision

Miandad has been defined as “the greatest batsman Pakistan has ever produced” by ESPNcricinfo. He captained Pakistan on many occasions. He holds the record of being the first player to have played in six World Cups (the only other being Sachin Tendulkar).

He is remembered as a legend who led Pakistan to newer heights. One of the most memorable Miandad moments was in 1986, against India. It was the last ball of the match, and Pakistan needed four to win.

Pakistan coasted to victory in style courtesy of his six. He is probably the cricketer who has retired for the shortest amount of time before his comeback. Merely ten days after announcing his retirement, he came back to international cricket, following a conversation with the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto.