We have seen a variety of players, some good, some not so good. There are many, though, who could have easily chosen an alternate profession and still done well. Because it is a sport, education is no criterion to find a spot in a cricket team.
1. VVS Laxman
‘Very Very Special’ was one of the most dependable batsmen in the Indian cricket team in the 2000s. The middle-order batter had built a reputation to save the team from every crisis, especially in the overseas tests. Coming from the country of intellectuals, Laxman had chosen Medical to be his educational abode. However, he couldn’t be away from cricket for long and thus became a full-time professional. Teri University in New Delhi honored Laxman with a doctorate in 2015.
2. Mike Brearley
Former England captain, Mike Brearley who currently is working as a psychotherapist, is a Cambridge graduate. Brearley had captained his international side in 31 matches and tasted phenomenal success by winning 17 out of them. Post-retirement, Brearley took up several roles. Besides Psychotherapy, he works as a psychoanalyst, motivational speaker, and writer for The Times.
3. Rahul Dravid
The ‘wall’ of the Indian Cricket is one of the best batter’s Indian cricket has ever seen. His innumerable valuable innings at home and abroad has helped India gain glory in the 2000s. A disciplined player, Rahul also has an impeccable academic record. He is a graduate of St. Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bangalore. While Dravid was preparing for the MBA from the same college, he got the much-awaited India call-up. The rest, as they say, remains history.
4. Imran Khan
World winning captain and the current Prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, was one of the most educated players from the Pakistani camp. After having completed his education at Royal Grammar School in England, he did his graduation in Philosophy from Oxford. Years after retirement, Khan was offered the position of Chancellor in the University of Bradford. He had to refrain from the job due to his political commitments.
5. Kumar Sangakkara
The legendary southpaw had much more than cricket in his repertoire. The Sri Lankan, with more than 10,000 test runs and one of the finest wicket-keepers of his time, is pretty well off as far as education is concerned. While in school, Sangakkara was conferred the ‘Trinity Lion’ and ‘Ryde Gold Medal’. He enrolled himself in the law faculty of the University of Colombo but could not complete the course as about 28,000 runs were awaiting him. He was awarded his school’s highest honor, The Trinity Lion and Ryde Gold Medal for the best all-round student.
6. Saeed Anwar
The talented left-hander, who was the mainstay of the Pakistani lineup in the late 90s, is an engineer by degree. With an average of 45, Anwar was considered to be the most feared opener of his era. His famous innings of 194 runs in Chennai still haunts an entire generation of Indian cricket fans. Anwar completed his degree in Computer System Engineering from the NED University, Karachi.
7. Geoff Lawson
Geoff Lawson was one of the shining prospects for the Australian team in the 80s. With a decent bowling average of just above 30 Lawson, had a total of 180 wickets in Test cricket. However, cricket wasn’t the first choice for Lawson. He had a Bachelor’s degree in Optometry from the University of New South Wales. After the end of his career as a player, Lawson took up coaching stints with international teams.
8. Misbah Ul Haq
Former Pakistani skipper Misbah Ul Haq had been around the scene for a long time. Be it the 2007 World Cup Final, the fastest test half-century, or not scoring a single century, are a few of the memories we all have of Misbah. Misbah Ul Haq, besides being a dependable middle-order batsman, is also a highly educated individual. He has a double degree in Mathematics and Physics from Faisalabad. He also completed his Master's degree in Business Administration from Lahore. Wonder how Misbah found time to play cricket while studying so much?
9. Michael Atherton
Today’s generation associates Michael Atherton with his commentary stint. A brave opener in his own right, Atherton was a technically sound cricketer. As far as education is concerned, Atherton took a degree in History from Cambridge. He later represented Cambridge on the field. After making it up the ranks in the domestic circuit, Atherton was the strength of the English batting lineup for a long time. With over 115 matches, he scored almost 7,728 runs with an average of 37 in tests.
10. Ravichandran Ashwin
Touted as one of the best spinners India has ever produced, Ashwin has become the leader of the Indian bowling attack at home. The Chennai-born spinner is fastest to 300 wickets, fastest to 350, and second fastest to 400 hundred wickets. Ashwin’s on-field tactics are a testament to the extraordinary sense of awareness he possesses. One of the educational front Ashwin holds is the degree of B. Tech in IT from Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering.
