In Cricket, there are many times in which we face adversities and difficulties, in which we quit our current roles and continue in life. Such issues affect professionals who have taken frequent breaks to resolve the issue. This scenario is most common among cricketers, many who retired early due to these issues. But here we look at 10 Australian Cricketers who overcame adversities in life and were successful.
1. Shane Warne
He is the greatest leg-spin bowler in Australia. Shane Warne has faced many controversies and difficulties throughout his career. From off-field actions to outright doping scandals, lots of issues surrounded Warne. But Warne overcame the hurdles and established himself as a dominant bowler on the global stage, with 700 wickets in all formats.
2. Adam Gilchrist
At the beginning of his career, Adam Gilchrist had a tough job replacing then-legendary keeper Ian Healy behind the stumps. Gilchrist was aggressive at a young age, which was not the norm of the then-Australian team. Gilchrist was warned several times. An issue with his batting since he opened in the lower-middle order. But Gilchrist overcame his struggles and established himself as a great wicketkeeper-batsman and ushered in a new generation of attacking wicketkeeping-batsmen who opened the batting and sought to score runs as quickly as possible.
3. Glenn McGrath
Glen McGrath is a legendary Aussie fast bowler known for his pace and swinging deliveries. But did you know that he once wanted to retire in his prime? McGrath\faced a personal shocker in 2005 when his wife Jane was diagnosed with cancer. He had to take leave owing to a personal issue. Despite this issue taking an emotional toll on McGrath, he overcame this and became a great bowler, claiming 300+ wickets.
4. Steve Waugh
Former Aussie skipper and great batter Steve Waugh faced a back injury, threatening to derail his career. But Waugh overcame the injury through extreme rehabilitation and tireless effort to strengthen his body. He came back from the injury and established himself as one of Australia’s finest captains and batters in cricket history.
5. Allan Border
Allan Border was Australia’s revolutionary captain. During a time when mediocre performances and struggles within the dressing room were common in the Aussie camp, Border led by example and sought to bring the team to glory through success against opposition. Under Border’s leadership Australia won the 1987 World Cup, which showed the world how dangerous the Aussie team was. It was also under the captaincy of Allan Border that several players who went on to become stars in Cricket such as the Waugh brothers, Shane Warne etc. debuted.
6. David Warner
Warner had a tough childhood. Born to middle-class parents, Warner was always street-smart and often got into fistfights with boys from his locality. Once he debuted into the Australian team, there were doubts about Warner’s batting prowess as he had not played a single first-class match in his career. He was into the Aussie main squad at just 20. Warner, with his batting skills, made haters keep these doubts aside and made his mark on the cricketing stage. Even after the ball-tampering scandal, for which Warner was penalized, he shut his critics and doubters by scoring crucial runs in his comeback match in the Ashes.
7. Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden, a brilliant left-hander, was a very attacking batter who loved to take on pacers, often advancing front and smashing them. In 2007, due to a ligament injury, Hayden lost his form and was sidelined from the squad with the emergence of younger players such as David Warner and Shane Watson. Hayden, however, rose to prove his critics wrong by performing brilliantly in the 2007 World Cup and the DLF Series.
8. Elysse Perry
Elysse Perry is a one-of-a-kind cricketer, as she, at 16 years, featured in both the Australian Women’s Cricket Team and the Women’s Football team. Perry was instrumental in the Australian Women’s team dominating many world cups and has over 7000 runs in women’s cricket. Perry has balanced both sports and has successfully made her career in both cricket and football.
9. Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting, a brilliant Captain and the highest run-getter with over 13000 runs had a tough childhood. He was born in Mowbray, a place filled with street fights and gang violence. Ponting struggled a lot in childhood, often getting into street brawls with other kids. Once in the Aussie Squad, he established himself in the top order as a great batter.
10. Michael Clarke
Clarke was a decent batter and an excellent captain. Phil Hughes was a close friend of Michael Clarke. Clarke was saddened and unable to cope with the loss of Phil Hughes. He decided to withdraw from cricket. However, his persistence and confidence enabled him to remain on the team and lead the side to victory in various matches as captain.
