All good things must come to an end goes the old adage, and in accordance with this, quite a few players bid farewell to international cricket in 2017.
Let’s have a look at twelve of the most noteworthy retirements we witnessed this year:
12.) Kyle Abbott
The South African speedster Kyle Abbott retired from international cricket on January 5, 2017. He continues to play league cricket across the world. The 30-year-old also signed a Kolpak deal with England’s Hampshire cricket club.
Test career – 11 matches, 95 runs; 39 wickets
ODI career – 28 matches, 76 runs; 34 wickets
T20I career – 21 matches, 23 runs; 26 wickets
11.) Rilee Rossouw
The Proteas batsman retired from international cricket on the same day as Abbott. Rossouw continues to play league cricket across the globe. He recently featured in the T10 league at Sharjah where he scored fastest half-century for Maratha Arabians.
ODI career – 36 matches, 1,239 runs, 100s- 3, 50s- 7; 1 wicket
T20I career – 15 matches, 327 runs, 50s- 2
10.) Shahid Afridi
Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who is known for his revolutionary leg spin and aggressive batting, retired from all forms of international cricket on February 20, 2017. He continues to play in leagues across the world post-retirement.
Test career – 27 matches, 1716 runs, 100s- 5, 50s- 8; 48 wickets
ODI career – 398 matches, 8,064 runs, 100s- 6, 50s – 39; 397 wickets
T20I career – 98 matches, 1,405 runs, 50s -4; 97 wickets
9.) Dwayne Smith
The Windies batsman retired from international cricket after he was unable to make it to the squad for 2 years. Smith announced his retirement on March 1, 2017. Smith is the 7th highest run-scorer in T20s with 7,351 runs. The 34-year-old better his record with every T20 match he plays.
Test career – 10 matches, 320 runs, 100s- 1; 7 wickets
ODI career – 105 matches, 1,560 runs, 50s- 8; 61 wickets
T20I career – 33 matches, 582 runs, 50s- 3; 7 wickets
8.) Misbah-ul-Haq
Former Pakistani skipper Misbah announced his retirement from international cricket on April 6, 2017. He retired on a winning note as Pakistan won the three-Test series against Windies on May 15, 2017.
Test career – 75 matches, 5,222 runs, 100s- 10, 50s- 39
ODI career – 162 matches, 5,122 runs, 50s- 42
T20I career – 39 matches, 788 runs, 50s-3
7.) Younis Khan
Pakistan’s legendary batsman Younis Khan retired on the same day as Misbah. He had a brilliant 17-year-long international career. He holds the record for most number of runs and centuries for Pakistan in Test cricket. He also led Pakistan to their maiden T20 World Cup win in 2009.
Test career – 118 matches, 10,099 runs, 100s- 34, 50s- 33; 9 wickets
ODI career – 265 matches, 7,249 runs, 100s- 7, 50s- 48; 3 wickets
T20I career – 25 matches, 442 runs, 50s- 2; 3 wickets
6.) Abdul Razzaq
The 38-year-old announced his international retirement on June 2, 2017. He is still playing in minnow cricket leagues. He was also a part of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup-winning team in 2009.
Test career – 46 matches, 1,946 runs, 100s-3, 50s-7; 100 wickets
ODI career – 265 matches, 5,080 runs, 100s- 3, 50s- 23; 269 wickets
T20I career – 32 matches, 393 runs; 20 wickets
5.) Michael Lumb
Lumb was forced to retire from all forms of cricket due to an ankle injury. He may have more than 11,000 runs in First-Class cricket but was selected in the English side in the shorter format of the game. The left-handed opener has 4,872 runs in T20 cricket and has been acknowledged as a destructive opener.
ODI career – 3 matches, 165 runs, 100s- 1
T20I career – 27 matches, 552 runs, 50s- 3
4.) John Hastings
Hastings’ decision to retire from Test and ODI cricket came as a shock to many. It was only in 2016 that Hastings owned the pitches of Sri Lanka bagging his career-best 6 for 45. He played only one Test and was preferred more in the shorter formats of the game for Australia.
Test career – 1 match, 52 runs, 1 wicket
ODI career – 29 matches, 271 runs, 50s- 1; 42 wickets
T20I career – 9 matches, 46 runs, 7 wickets
3.) Adam Voges
Another example of Australia’s rich talent which often go unused because of the fierce competition level at domestic level. He, however, made his Test debut at the age of 36 and went on to score maximum runs between two dismissals, thus breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s one of the records. In February 2017, Voges announced his retirement from international cricket.
ODI: 31, Runs: 870
Test: 20, Runs: 1485
T20I: 7, Runs: 51
2.) Ashish Nehra
The lanky fast bowler from India, Ashish Nehra announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on October 11. He is one of the legendary bowlers who made a successful comeback after several injuries and managed to excel. His spell of 6 for 23 against England is the best bowling figure for an Indian bowler in the history of World Cups.
Test career – 17 matches, 44 wickets
ODI career – 120 matches, 157 wickets
T20I career – 27 matches, 34 wickets
1.) Saeed Ajmal
Pakistan’s star spinner, Saeed Ajmal announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on November 13, 2017. He played his last match on November 29 and retired in the National T20 Cup semi-final. Ajmal too was a part of the T20 World Cup winning squad in 2009.
Test career – 35 matches, 178 wickets
ODI career – 113 matches, 184 wickets
T20I career – 64 matches, 85 wickets
