It is the pride and dream of any budding cricketer to represent their country at least once. However, at some point they will have to say goodbye regardless of their love for the game. Looking back at history, some players have managed to play until the late thirties by maintaining immense levels of fitness, while others have had to hang up their boots due to injury and lack of form.
Meanwhile, there have been instances of cricketers announcing their retirement and surprising everyone by deciding to take a U-turn to play the sport again. Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi’s name is often associated with this rarity as the legendary all-rounder retired five times in his career that spanned 26 years. Although Afridi has always been a victim of social media trolls for his retirement saga, many may consider him the first and only top player to do so.
As the 2023 ODI World Cup approaches, let’s take a look at three players who came out of retirement to play in the premier 50-over tournament.
1. Imran Khan – 1992
Apart from Afridi, Imran Khan, one of the greatest captains in Pakistan cricket, also backed out of his decision to retire. The pace bowling all-rounder, who made his international debut in 1971, announced his first retirement after the 1987 World Cup. Former Pakistan President Zia-Ul-Haq insisted Imran to come out of retirement and play in the 1992 ODI World Cup. The decision paid off as Pakistan won the title after beating England by 22 runs in the final.
2. Javagal Srinath – 2003
Former India pacer Javagal Srinath announced his first retirement from international cricket after the home series against West Indies in 2022. However, then captain Sourav Ganguly persuaded him to play in the 50-over format till the 2003 World Cup. His comeback was impressive, but the final of the marquee event in 2003, where Australia beat India by 125 runs, turned out to be his last as he suffered knee issues.
3. Ben Stokes – 2023
The premier English all-rounder Ben Stokes is the one who brought the retirement drama back into the headlines. Stokes announced his retirement from ODI cricket in July 2022, citing an overwhelming work schedule after being named captain of the Test team. Recently, there were reports that England had approached the 32-year-old to reverse his decision as the World Cup approaches.
On Wednesday 16 August, he was named in the 15-man squad for the four-match series against New Zealand in September. With Stokes agreeing to play in the World Cup, the reigning champions will be hoping the southpaw repeats his 2019 heroics this time around.