Only some of the greatest cricketers have gotten a Guard of Honour till date. It is an unofficial yet special gesture wherein the opposition team stands on either side clapping, and the retiring player walks in between. It is a symbolic act done in respect and acknowledgment of the player. It is probably one of the best sendoffs a player can get as it means that not only the opposing team, but the entire cricketing world recognize their contribution to the game and their team. Over the years, only a handful of players have received the honour, 10 of whom are the focus of this article.
1. Jacques Kallis
Arguably the greatest all-rounder of all time, Kallis was a phenomenal player with records that back that claim. With over 13000 runs in Test cricket and over 11000 runs in ODIs, Kallis needs little more to be called great. However, a phenomenal 292 wickets in Tests and another 273 in ODIs only increased his greatness. He was given a guard of honour by India, led by M. S. Dhoni, in his last test match in Durban in 2013.
2. Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting, second only to Tendulkar in terms of test runs, was one of the if not the greatest captains of all time. With more than 13000 runs each in both Tests and ODIs, Ponting is one of the greatest to grace the game of cricket. The South Africans thought this as well, as they gave Ponting a guard of honour as he came out to bat for the last time at the WACA in 2012.
3. Kumar Sangakkara
One of the coolest of players, Sangakkara was given a guard of honour by the Virat Kohli-led team India in his last test match in Colombo in 2015. With an average over 57, scoring more than 12000 runs, he was one of the greatest to ever play the game. In addition, he also has an incredible 14234 runs in ODI cricket, which is the second most after Tendulkar.
4. Brian Lara
Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in Test matches and first-class cricket, with the scores being 400 and 501, respectively. With almost 12000 runs in Test cricket and more than 10000 runs in ODI cricket, Lara is right there with some of the legends of the game. Naturally, in his last international match in 2007, the English team formed a guard of honour for the great man.
5. Stuart Broad
From being hit for six sixes in an over to becoming one of the greatest bowlers the sport of cricket has ever seen, Broad has an impressive 847 wickets across formats. As if that was not already enough, he has also scored a handy 4000 plus runs. It is no wonder that the Australians formed a guard of honour for him as he came out to bat for the last time at the Oval. Broad took the final wicket of the match, which made for a fairytale ending.
6. Michael Clarke
Leading Australia to a win in the World Cup final earlier in the year, Clarke called time on his Test match career in August 2015. With over 17000 runs across formats and a World Cup, Clarke has become one of the best to play the game. England players formed a guard of honour as he walked out to bat for the last time in his career.
7. Alastair Cook
Cook is the joint youngest player to score 10000 runs in Test cricket. As he came out to bat for the last time in the fifth test in 2018, the Indian players gave him a guard of honour. He scored 71 in the first innings and 147 in the second, which gave him his fairytale sendoff from the game. He finished with 12472 runs, the fifth-highest run-getter in the history of test cricket.
8. Graeme Smith
Smith’s 17000 international runs speak for him. One of the best captains South Africa ever had in addition to being a great batter, Smith was given a guard of honour by the Australians in his last international match in 2014. He was the first captain to stay at the reigns for over 100 tests.
9. Muttiah Muralitharan
With all kinds of international bowling records to his name, Muralitharan is the greatest bowler ever. He was given a guard of honour by the Indian team, as he walked out to bat for the last time in his career in 2010. He is among the few players to get a fairytale ending as he got his 800th test wicket on the last ball that he bowled. Muralitharan has an incredible 1347 international wickets under his name, being the leading wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs.
10. Sachin Tendulkar
A man that needs no introduction, Tendulkar was given a guard of honour by the West Indies in his final match at the Wankhede in 2013. The jam-packed stadium was on its feet as the great man walked out for the last time with the Indian team giving their guard of honour. An inspiration for many, most of the international batting records are under his name as he was the backbone of Indian batting for a long time.
