Several cricketers have decided to retire from the sport, only to return to the field later. It can be said that it was the love for the game that brought them back to the pitch or the ground. It must have been not easy to give up something they have been doing regularly for ten or fifteen years. In this article, we look at ten such cricketers who returned from retirement to play the game again.
1. Kevin Pietersen
England batter Kevin Pietersen was one of the best batsmen from the England cricket team. He holds the record of making 2000 runs the fastest in ODI cricket from his national side. He announced white ball retirement in 2011 to focus on Test format, but the decision reversed in a short period, and he came back to play ODIs and T20Is.
2. Shahid Afridi
The great Pakistani all-rounder announced momentary retirement for the first time but was called back to captain the Pakistani team in 2010. He was called from his retirement again and again because of a lack of good players in the side. He again announced retirement in 2011 but was seen again in action in 2018 at the Lord’s.
3. Imran Khan
Known to be one of the best cricketers Pakistan has ever seen, Imran Khan played for Pakistan for 21 years in Test format and 18 years in ODI. He announced retirement from cricket after the 1987 World Cup but came back for his nation and team. Imran led his side to win their first and only World Cup in 1992 and was never seen in action after that.
4. Dwayne Bravo
The legendary all-rounder of West Indies cricket team, Dwayne Bravo, announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in 2018. He had not played ODI since 2014 and Test since 2010. However, he made his international comeback in January 2020 in a T20I series against Ireland. He played his last T20I series against Sri Lanka in March 2020.
5. Javed Miandad
Known to be the greatest Pakistani batsman ever, Miandad led the national side on several occasions. He was the first cricketer to feature in six World Cups. The great player announced retirement before 1996 World Cup but due to a request made by then Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the batsman agreed to be a part of the upcoming World Cup. His retirement lasted only ten days.
6. Michael Atherton
English player Michael Atherton announced his retirement from international cricket in 2001. However, he returned to play one final Test match in 2001 before retiring permanently.
7. Brendon McCullum
The great New Zealand batsman known for his explosive batting techniques, Brendon McCullum, retired from international cricket back in 2016. However, he still played T20 leagues and made a brief return to international cricket to play a few matches before retiring completely.
8. Herschelle Gibbs
Australian cricketer Herschelle Gibbs announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket in 2010. However, he returned to play for South Africa in limited-overs formats in 2012 before retiring permanently.
9. Matthew Hayden
Australian batter Matthew Hayden retired from international cricket in 2009 but came out of his retirement to play in the Big Bash League in 2010-11.
10. Geoff Boycott
Geoff Boycott, former English cricketer, retired from international cricket in 1982. However, he came out of his retirement to play for England in a few test matches in 1983 before finally ending his international cricket career.
