Retirement is quite common in every sport. But have you thought about cricket players who came out from retirement to serve their nation again? Quite interesting. Does it happen in cricket history? Yes absolutely. There are so many cricket players who came out from retirement to represent their side in international cricket. It happened so many times in this bat-ball game. Even some of the gigantic names of cricket also did this. So in this article, we will look at six legendary players who came out from retirement to play international cricket again.
6 Legendary Players Who Came Out From Retirement
6. Dwayne Bravo (West Indies)
The West Indies star all-rounder doesn’t need much introduction. He has excellent batting ability to play in the lower down order. He excels in death overs as a supreme variety bowler. But he focused more on T20 cricket, which led him to have fewer chances to play Test and ODI cricket for the West Indies. Bravo shocked West Indies fans by announcing his retirement from international cricket in 2018.
However, Bravo said he was interested in playing for the West Indies again in the 2019 World Cup. In particular, he said in an interview that he wants to play in the T20 World Cup for his country. With this, Bravo withdrew his retirement in 2020 and started playing international cricket for the West Indies. He also fulfilled his dream of earning a spot in the 2021 T20 World Cup squad. Bravo is one of the best all-rounders who gained 6th place in the list of six legendary players who came out from retirement to play international cricket again.
5. Kevin Pietersen (England)
He is one of the most devastating batsmen from England. Pietersen created numerous records for England with his unique batting style. Passionately his unorthodox cricket has entertained the whole cricket world. Most of the cricket fans call him a father Fof switch hit. However, he announced his retirement from ODI and T20 cricket in 2011 to focus more on Test cricket. During this time, there also existed some disputes between Pietersen and the England Cricket Board.
However, within a few months of announcing his retirement, KP changed his mind and decided to serve in three formats for England. With that, the England team selected him into the ODI and T20 squads. But discords between the ECB and Pietersen continued. Pietersen is one of the greatest batsmen who made it into six legendary players who returned to play international cricket again.
4. Carl Hooper (West Indies)
The legendary West Indies all-rounder is the first player to get 5000 runs, 100 wickets, and 100 catches in the game’s history. Hooper took more than 300 wickets, scoring over 10000 runs in both Test and ODI formats. So based on these stats, we can tell Hooper is one of the most significant players for the West Indies. However, he shocked everyone by announcing his retirement from international cricket in 1999 when the ODI World Cup was still in three weeks. He also moved to Australia and started living in Adelaide.
However, the West Indies team fall after Hooper’s retirement. He withdrew his retirement in 2001 and again surprised everyone by playing international cricket for the West Indies. He also captained the West Indies at the 2003 World Cup. But he has evacuated from the side due to the West Indies flop show in that tournament. Hooper is one of the greatest all-rounders who obtained 4th place in the list of six legendary players who came out from retirement to play international cricket again.
Also Read – 5 Famous Cricketers Who Retired During Their Prime
3. Javed Miandad (Pakistan)
The iconic Pakistani player is one of the best batsmen for his country. Also, he is the only player who has participated in six World Cups before Sachin Tendulkar. However, Miandad announced his retirement from international cricket just before the 1996 World Cup. He shocked every Pakistan cricket fan with his unexpected decision.
But surprisingly, he returned to the Pakistan team within ten days of his retirement. The Prime Minister of Pakistan requested Javed to participate in the World Cup. With that, Miandad withdrew his retirement and resumed playing cricket for Pakistan. Miandad executed a speedy return which made it into the list of six legendary players who came out from retirement to play international cricket again.
2. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
The current Prime Minister of Pakistan is one of the best captains of Pakistan. In fact, Imran Khan is the only Pakistan captain to win an ODI world cup for his team. He also played cricket for nearly two decades and produced many stunning victories for his country. Nevertheless, Imran Khan retired from cricket after the 1987 World Cup.
But Pakistan Prime Minister Zia-ul-Haq propelled Imran Khan and inspired him to play cricket again. Imran Khan withdrew his retirement before the 1992 World Cup and resumed playing cricket for Pakistan. Interestingly, at the age of 39, Imran returned to cricket and outshined at the 1992 World Cup. Also, he led his team to win their first world cup. Imran is one of the best captains who earned 2nd place in the list of six legendary players who came out from retirement to play international cricket again.
1. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
Doesn’t need an extensive introduction about this dangerous all-rounder from Pakistan. Afridi created many records with his three-dimensional capabilities. He also accomplished a rare feat at this retirement party. Everyone on this list retired only once in their career and made a comeback. But Afridi has retired three times and made his comeback again. Afridi first announced his retirement from international cricket in 2006. However, nothing much experience left in the Pakistan team after his retirement. With that Pakistan Cricket Board requested him to withdraw his retirement in 2010.
Afridi did rebound to play cricket for Pakistan. But he announced his retirement for the second time after the 2011 World Cup. However, he retook a U-turn on his decision within a few months and made a comeback again. Finally, Afridi announced his retirement for the third time in 2017. But he played an international match for the Rest of the World at Lord’s the following year. However, Afridi did not play for Pakistan again after that match. Afridi is one of the most dependable all-rounders who acquired 1st place in the list of six legendary players who came out from retirement to play international cricket again.
