Cricketers Who Retired Unexpectedly: There have been many instances in the recent past where top cricketers have given up on the game all of a sudden. These cricketers had everything going for them. They were arguably the top cricketers in their countries. But the demands of international cricket are such that it exhausts the best cricketers. The three formats of the game have consumed many cricketers. They had to give in to the pressures of the modern game.
We Look At Top 5 Cricketers Who Announced Their Retirements Suddenly:
#5 Quinton De Kock
South African cricket was going through an upheaval last year. They had lost the opening (boxing) day Test against India. Quinton De Kock was one of the few senior players on the squad. He got out to soft dismissals in both the innings of the first Test. Post the game, in a shocking presser, Quinton De Kock announced his retirement from Tests.
Cricketing fans and experts couldn’t make sense of the decision. Quinton De Kock was one of South Africa’s marquee players. But he stated he wanted to focus on his family. The new year started on a shocker of a note for South Africa.
#4 Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes was the unofficial player of the World Cup in 2019. He had a smashing tournament where he showed the world why he is rated so highly. His stunning knock in the World Cup finals is a memory that still remains fresh in the memory of cricket fans. It was the ODI format that was Stokes’ strongest suit.
He could make a difference with both bat and the ball. But Stokes chose to give up on this format to continue playing the other two. He is a champion ODI player who could have played a stellar role in the coming few years. But it wasn’t meant to be!
#3 Kevin Pietersen
He was the original maverick of English cricket. Kevin Pietersen burst onto the scene in 2005. He played a key role in England’s Ashes win in 2005. Pietersen excelled in all formats. In hindsight, he was the only English player who was comfortable playing the shortest formats. He adapted wonderfully to every format he played. Pietersen won the player of the tournament award in England’s T20 World Cup winning campaign. But just 2 years down the line, when he was just 32, he called it quits from the ODI format.
#2 AB de Villiers
No batsman in the twenty-first century has had such an impact on the game as AB de Villiers. He was a bonafide genius who lit up world cricket with his stroke play. ABD could score a 31-ball century while batting for 200 balls and scoring 33 runs. He was an absolute madcap on the cricket field. ABD donned gloves, opened, finished, and fielded, he did everything humanly possible as a cricketer. But in 2018, ABD announced his retirement from international cricket. His decision shook world cricket completely.
#1 MS Dhoni
No captain in the history of the game has a chequered record as MS Dhoni. In the phase between 2007-13, Dhoni led India to three world titles. It started with the T20 World Cup in 2007, ODI World Cup in 2011, and the Champions Trophy in 2013. But Dhoni’s record as red-ball captain especially overseas started taking a beating post-2011 World Cup.
India won all but just a single game in multiple overseas tours. The losses finally took a toll on Dhoni. Post the third Test in MCG, Dhoni called quits on his Test career. The decision and the timing had the typical Dhoni mystique to them.
