Top 10 international cricketers whose careers were ruined due to injuries

Michael Bevan. (Photo Source: Hamish Blair/Getty Images)

Every international cricketer wants his career to go smoothly without any injuries. However, some cricketers haven’t been lucky as their careers not only got hampered due to injuries but got wrapped up as well. The impact of injuries was so grave, that a few players couldn’t return to international cricket. While some made a comeback, their performances weren’t the same.

Saba Karim, who served the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as General Manager of Cricket Operations, became a victim of an injury during his playing days. Karim, who represented India in 35 international matches (34 One-Day Internationals and a Test, sustained an eye injury while wicketkeeping for India against Bangladesh in 2000. The unfortunate incident ended his career at the age of 33. After this incident, injuries mauled many cricketing careers. 

Discussing more, here are the 10 cricketers whose careers got folded due to injuries

10. Craig Kieswetter

Craig Kieswetter. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Craig Kieswetter played a crucial role in England’s maiden T20 World Cup title triumph in 2010. The right-handed batter scored 222 runs in seven matches, with a crucial half-century in the massive final match against Australia. In 2015, the wicket-keeper batter retired from all forms of the sport at the age of 27.

While batting in a county match against Northamptonshire in 2014, he got hit in the face as a ball went between his helmet and grill. The ball severely harmed his nose and eye socket. After healing from the injury, he went to South Africa along with the English team to participate in a two-match T20 International (T20I) series.

However, the effects of injuries persisted and made him struggle. The 2010 T20 World Cup hero said that after going through the experience of his eye injury, he wouldn’t be the player that he was. The England stalwart could play only 71 international matches during his short-lived career.

9. Shabbir Ahmed

Shabbir Ahmed. (Photo Source: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)

Shabbir Ahmed grabbed a lot of eyeballs for his disciplined bowling in the initial phase of his cricketing career. The right-arm pacer played for Pakistan for eight years from 1999 to 2007. Ahead of the 2004 Champions Trophy, he suffered a knee injury and missed the marquee tournament played in England.

The injury kept him out of cricketing action for six weeks. During Pakistan’s tour of South Africa in 2007, key pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul got injured and Shabbir was about to join the team for the third Test in Cape Town. However, the pacer again faced a knee problem and couldn’t travel to South Africa.

In February 2007, he played a T20I match against South Africa in Johannesburg and it became his last appearance in the international circuit. Until 2013, he remained active in Pakistan’s domestic cricket but failed to make it to the national side again. He played 43 matches for Pakistan during his international stint.

8. Simon Jones

Simon Jones. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Simon Jones played an illustrious role with the ball in England’s 2005 Ashes victory. The speedster grabbed 18 wickets in eight innings of four Tests and ended up as England’s second-most successful bowler in the series. Following the incredible triumph, he disappeared from international cricket.

The fourth Test of the series in Nottingham became his last appearance in international cricket. During the game, the pacer’s old knee injury came back and he got out of the series. Jones caught the injury during the Ashes 2002-03 during the inaugural Test at The Gabba, Brisbane.

In 2006, England visited India for three Tests and seven ODIs. Ahead of the first Test, he twisted his ankle while practising on nets. The injury prevented his participation in the series and he returned to England to see a specialist. This injury cost his international career as the Nottingham Test against Australia in 2005 became his last match for England.

7. Nathan Bracken

Nathan Bracken. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Nathan Bracken was an essential part of the Australian team during the 2000s. Along with Australia’s premier pacers Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, Bracken used to wreak havoc on opponents with his brilliant swing bowling. Riding on his superb bowling, Australia won the 2006 Champions Trophy and the 2007 World Cup.

Prior to the 2009 Champions Trophy in South Africa, Bracken’s knee got injured and he returned to Australia for treatment. However, Bracken’s knee trouble proved fatal for his international career as he failed to become a part of Australia’s national side again. The 2009 Nottingham ODI against Australia and England became the last match of his international career.

In 2011, Bracken announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after getting unsuccessful in making a comeback in the international circuit for almost one and a half years. However, he played for his domestic side New South Wales in 2009 and 2010 and won a few games with his bowling exploits.

6. Ryan Harris

Ryan Harris. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Ryan Harris was a vital cog in Australia’s Test team from 2010 to 2015. The Sydney-born paceman helped Australia bag a lot of matches with his fierce fast-bowling talent. In Australia’s 2013-14 Ashes domination, he supported Mitchell Johnson and picked up 22 wickets in 10 innings of five matches.

From March 2014 to November 2014, he stayed away from cricket to recover from a knee injury. In December, he made a comeback against India and went on to play all four Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014. Harris’s performance was decent in the series as he got 10 wickets in six innings of three Tests.

In 2015, Australia went to England for the Ashes and it was announced that Harris will miss the marquee Test series due to his recurring knee injury. Troubled with the knee problem, he hung up his boots from international cricket. His sudden announcement shocked the Australian team as its preparation for the series got hit.

5. Munaf Patel

Munaf Patel. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Munaf Patel was the unsung hero of India’s spectacular 2011 World Cup triumph. He played for India for five years and during this period, he turned up for India in 86 international matches. Munaf was one of the important members of India’s ODI team from 2006-11 due to his disciplined bowling. 

In 2011, India had a horrendous England tour and Munaf also struggled to be among the wickets. Playing the five-match ODI series, he got only two wickets in four innings at an expensive economy of 6.43. In the last ODI in Cardiff, he caught an ankle injury while fielding at the long off.

The loss of form troubled Munaf during the whole tour and in the end, the injury added fuel to the fire. The injury caused huge damage to Munaf’s career as he never got a chance to represent India again. In the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL), Patel played for Gujarat Lions (GL) and his ineffective performance for the franchise forced him to bring down the curtains on his international career as well in November 2018.

4. Andrew Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Andrew Flintoff is remembered as one of the best all-rounders for England. Riding on his extraordinary bowling performance, England lifted the Ashes urn after 18 years in 2005. In England’s one of the most memorable wins, he clinched 24 wickets in five Tests and became the most successful bowler for his team.

During his career, the England legend struggled with injuries. From 2007-09, Flintoff struggled to play consistently as he got injured four times during these two years. In 2009, he participated in the cash-rich IPL but opted out of it after appearing in three games due to a knee injury.

In July 2009, the English cricketer announced that he would bid adieu to international cricket after the Ashes 2009 edition. He decided to call time on his career due to injuries. Playing the last Ashes series, Flintoff took eight wickets in seven innings of four matches and helped England to emerge victorious in the series by a 2-1 margin. In the second Test, he also received the Player of the Match award for his stupendous bowling performance.

3. Shane Bond

Shane Bond. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Shane Bond was the best bowler for New Zealand during the 2000s. In his international career, the speedster won a lot of games for his team with his exceptional bowling prowess. The Christchurch-born player was active in international cricket for nine years and during this period, he could play only 120 matches and took 259 wickets.

The reason for Bond’s limited appearance in international cricket was his struggle with injuries. From May 2003 to August 2005, he didn’t play any international games due to a back injury. In  April 2006, New Zealand travelled to South Africa for three Tests and the speedster missed the important assignment as he injured his right knee while serving his team against the West Indies at Eden Park in December 2005.

In December 2009, Bond announced his retirement from Test cricket due to injury concerns. He showed up in only 18 Tests for the Kiwi team in his eight-year career. Just nine months ahead of the ICC World Cup 2011, he drew curtains from all forms of the sport. 

2. Michael Bevan

Michael Bevan. (Photo Source: Hamish Blair/Getty Images)

Michael Bevan played for Australia from 1994 to 2004 and during those 10 years, he helped Australia bag a lot of ODI matches with his batting calibre. His potential to conclude matches successfully in one-day cricket made him the best match-finisher for the Australian team.

In Australia’s World Cup victories in 1999 and 2003, Bevan played a vital role with his bat. Following the 2003 title triumph, he played for Australia until February 2004. Bevan’s rib got injured during the VB Series 2003-04. The injury ruled him out of the remaining series against India and Zimbabwe.

However, he travelled to Sri Lanka in February 2004 to play a five-match ODI series. The Aussie appeared in all five matches of the series but struggled to be among the runs. In the second ODI played in Dambulla, he played an unbeaten knock of 24 off 21 but couldn’t take his team home. After playing the last ODI contest of the tour in Colombo, he never appeared for Australia again. In January 2007, he bid adieu to international cricket after struggling with injuries for almost three years.

1. Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Ashish Nehra played 164 international matches for the Indian cricket team from 1999-2017. He was a vital member of India’s victorious 2011 World Cup side. The semi-final match against Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup became the last match of his ODI career. He couldn’t participate in the summit World Cup final clash against Sri Lanka due to a fracture in his right hand.

In August 2011, Nehra recovered from the injury and also submitted his fitness certificate. However, the BCCI didn’t include his name in India’s T20I and ODI squads for England. In January 2016, he made a comeback in India’s three-match T20I series in Australia. Following the Australia series, the veteran went on playing the Asia Cup 2016 and the sixth edition of the T20 World Cup. 

After the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final against the West Indies, Nehra participated in IPL 2016. During the marquee tournament, he injured his hamstring and got ruled out of the tournament. Nehra got over the hamstring injury and returned to India’s T20I side during the England T20I series at home in 2017. In November 2017, he announced his retirement from international cricket after playing his last T20I match against New Zealand in Delhi.