There was a time when they didn't have much of a difference between day and night, times when sweat was flowing like water, a time when the pain was their companion., Every player in every sport had to surpass this time to achieve success victory until a certain age. Just after climbing a mountain, you can finally enjoy the view. Players had to climb through every obstacle to succeed but there again comes a day when the glory days become a memory and when they look back, it becomes a source of motivation to the evolving youngsters. When we use it in a sentence, it is a Full stop, but for a player, it is retirement, a full-stop to their hard work, persistence, and prowess. The world has seen lots of legends in sports, starting from Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali to Messi, Ronaldo, Virat Kohli, for whom people are still worried about the time they are going to hang their boots retirement. Cricket is a sport that never fails to amaze amuse people at various stages. Being a popular sport worldwide, it boasts a lot of fans. Cricket is a sports stadium where the world has seen several legends take birth to win a trophy for their country and clubs. Their persistence and hard work came to a stop after their retirement. Let's see some of the glorious retirements of some of the cricket legends:
10. The Lara Nightmare
It was 19 April 2007 when Brian Lara, former Trinidadian cricketer, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket and indicated that he would play his last match against England on 21 April 2007. He is considered a legendary cricketer. He got run out after playing against England, where he scored just 18. After the match, he went towards the audience and asked if they enjoyed it. The audience gave a positive response to this. Lara is considered one of the greatest of all time in cricket. He is known as 'The Honourable .'He holds the record for scoring the highest runs in one single over in a test match.
9. Jayewardene’s Lasthour
Mahela Jayawardene was one of the best cricketers born on Lankan soil. He was an explosive batsman and a coach who had led Mumbai Indians to clinch their prestigious IPL Title. He had also coached Sri Lanka's national team. After Sanath Jayasuriya, he is the second Lankan player to score more than 10,000 ODI runs. He is the first Lankan player to score more than 10,000 runs in test matches. Jayawardene announced his retirement from the test cricket matches on 14 July 2014 after the Pakistan test series against Pakistan Sri Lanka. Pakistani players cheered for him and gave him a guard of honor. He also considers himself lucky enough as his Test career came to an end at his favorite ground, the Sinhalese Sports Club. On 13 December 2014, he played had his last ODI match against England. He was out on 28 Runs. But the then skipper, Angelo Mathews, handed him the ball to bowl. He took a wicket before finishing his career. Jayawardene had a great set of retirement stages, which he won't forget in his life.
8. The Wall’s Day
Rahul Dravid was one of the most decorated batsmen the world has ever seen. He was known for his defensive strokes. He had a beautiful and classical way of hitting the ball. He is an instrument through which India has passed across some of the most memorable wins in Indian cricket history. He was a fulcrum of the Indian cricket team around which India revolved for an extended period. Surprisingly, Dravid was selected to play this match after a gap of 2 years. That's when he thought to retire from cricket. He batted very well for the team, scoring 69 out of 78 balls. After he got out, everyone from the England cricket team came and gave him their best wishes. The England cricket team also uploaded a video of their players wishing him at the ground.
7. Punter’s Retirement
"He wears his heart on his sleeves" was once said about Ponting by his former Australian team captain Allan Border. One of the most determined and courageous Australian players to take the field, he is considered one of the best among Australian cricketers. He is known for his batting style. He was considered one of the best by many players such as Sachin, border, etc. On 29 November 2012, Punter announced that he would be retiring from Test cricket after a match against South Africa. When he was moving towards the pavilion, his fans cheered him at the StadiumStadium. South African opponents gave him a Guard of honor. He played beautiful shots that day, and after he got out at the slip, South Africans didn't celebrate much but did go and waved goodbye at him. The crowd also stood up and went on cheering Ponting as he returned to the pavilion.
6. McCullum Saga
One of the most explosive Kiwi batsmen, Brendon McCullum, is considered the greatest of all time. He was known for his well-defined way of hitting the ball out of the StadiumStadium for a six. Currently, he is a coach of an IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders. It was a Test match against Aussies on 20 February 2016 where; McCullum announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He was cheered by Aussies with a standing ovation. He broke the record of being the first captain to hit a ton on his farewell match. It was McCullum's way of ending his career! While he was returning to his dressing room, opponents and the audience stood up as he went.
5. Inzamam Ul Haq Departs
Inzamam was a Pakistani cricket player best known for his batting skills. He was one of the best on the Pakistani cricket team. During the 1992 World cup, he achieved his fame due to his best knock during the semi-final game. He was one of the key batsmen in their batting line-up for decades. Inzamam played his only T20 against England on 28 August 2006, when he announced his further retirement dates. It was against England when many Englishmen cheered onto the pitch. After getting out, he was given a standing ovation by his fellow Pakistani players. That's how he had his farewell.
4. Bye, Kalahari!
Destructive African opener Jacques Kallis was known by the names Kalahari and Woogie. Kallis boasts a good career record in batting, balling, and fielding. He has taken a lot of catches in his career and has rarely missed very rarely. Kallis played his last test innings against India at Durban. When he came to bat, Indian players stood up in respect. The crowd cheered for him. He is one of the few batsmen to achieve a test win on his exact retirement date. He finally announced his retirement on 30 July 2014.
3. “Gentleman Beyond The Game.”
Once Dravid sir said that if Sri Lanka wins matches, it is due to the bat of Sanga and the bowl of Muttiah, and that is how gruesome a batsman Kumar Sangakkara was. He had captained the Lankan cricket team numerous at various times. Kumar is one of the best players born out of Lankan soil. He was also a part of the IPL cricket team, the Deccan Chargers. On 27 June 2015, it was the second test match against India when he planned to retire. The whole Lankan Stadium was decorated beautifully by its fans and cricket enthusiasts. The StadiumStadium got flooded with banners and posters that said class never retires. That day he was bowled by Ashwin. Virat Kohli and the team ran towards him and gave him honor guard. The whole Lankan squad stood at the pavilion and gave him a beautiful Guard of HonorHonour. It consisted of Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sunil Gavaskar, and many more players. After the match was over, Gavaskar invited him to his club. Kohli gave a farewell speech, wherein he was given an adjective as a lovely person. In the presence of various Lankan politicians, he got awarded. What else should a great player deserve?
2. Gilly’s Done
Adam Gilchrist, also known by Gilly, Churchy, and Wingnut, was greatly admired by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He is known to revolutionize wicket keeping. He was a great wicketkeeper-batsman, ever-known amongst Aussies. As people said when he retired, Adam Gilchrist had a controversial retirement, as he dropped the catch of VVS Laxman, while Australia suffered a setback against India. Crushing all those thoughts he had, he played his last ODI against Sri Lanka at Perth, wherein he entered the ground by hearing the crowd cheering "Churchy, Churchy ."Sri Lankans stood in line to greet him and gave him a standing ovation. All the group at the StadiumStadium, stood up welcoming him for the last time. That day he batted very well and achieved a score of 118. He was named the 'Man of the Match' at Perth and was farewell by his teammates.
1. When The God Retires…
There was a day in cricket when the "God of Cricket" retired. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is one of the deadliest batsmen the world has ever seen. He was a nightmare to some prominent bowlers in the world. He has a lot of records under his belt. He also got known by the name 'Master-Blaster .'He is considered as Greatest of All Times by several great cricketers. Little Master had his last test match against the West against West Indies. AT HIS REQUEST, the BCCI shifted that match to Kolkata and Mumbai, his hometown. He was cheered by a sell-out crowd stadium full of crowds and fans. With their support, he hit 79 runs, thanked them, and moved back to the pavilion to pavilion. He had his farewell speech where he thanked his teammates, his family, and friends. He also thanked his fans, and the fans started to shout "Sachin, Sachin" and cheered him all the way. Tendulkar left the ground in tears. In an event conducted by India Today, he was the main subject taken up by various International-National politicians and celebrities.
