Cricket is all about three D's- Dedication, Determination, and Discipline. The game repays you for your hard work and haunts you for your indiscipline. You need to be mentally and physically fit to reach the game's apex. Some players are resilient enough to stay for the long run, some face ups and downs, and some also retire rather untimely due to some unfortunate events, health conditions, or personal reasons. These players did everything in their capacity to get to the top level, so what happened that led them to this untimely retirement? Let us know more about ten such players who left the game early.
1. James Taylor
A classically moderate Right-Handed English Batsman who made his debut at the international level at a very young age of 21. Taylor played 27 ODIs and 7 Tests for England. Unfortunately, at the age of 26, he suffered from a heart condition that forced him to leave the game. Currently, he is the Head Scout of the England Cricket Team, and he is constantly contributing by finding and nurturing new talents for the team.
2. Tatenda Taibu
The Youngest Captain of the Zimbabwe National Team is Tatenda Taibu. He made his debut for the national side at a very young age of 18 and became the captain of the Zimbabwe national team at the age of 21. Also, he represented Zimbabwe in 150 ODIs, 16 T20Is, and 28 Tests. He scored more than 3 thousand runs for Zimbabwe in ODIs. At 29, he decided to retire from the game and answer the lord's call by working for a church.
3. Jonty Rhodes
Jonty Rhodes is considered one of the Greatest Fielders of all time. Rhodes made his mark early with a flying run out of Inzamam Ul Haq during the 1992 World Cup. He represented South Africa in 245 ODIs and 52 tests. In ODIs, he nearly scored around 6 thousand runs with an average of 35. Unfortunately, a finger fracture during the 2003 World Cup forced him to retire from Cricket.
4. Craig Kieswetter
The English Wicket Keeper Batsman played 46 ODIs and 25 T20Is for England and scored just over a Thousand runs in ODIs with an average of 30, including a century and five half-centuries. In an unfortunate turn of events, he severely injured his eyes during a T20 Tournament, which forced him to retire at the early age of 28. He still suffers from vision problems due to that injury.
5. AB De Villiers
The Superman from South Africa took the whole cricketing world by storm with his 360-degree wagon wheels and unorthodox batting strokes. Abraham Benjamin de Villiers holds the record for the fastest ODI century in just 31 deliveries. He can bat, he can field, he can keep. He had a dream run, but suddenly on 23rd May 2018, he posted a video in which he said, "After 114 test matches, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20 Internationals, it is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I'm tired." And the entire cricket world was shocked as Superman left the game at the age of 34. He still plays T20 Leagues and is an integral part of IPL Franchise' Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
6. Graeme Smith
The Youngest South African Captain at the age of 22 and one of the most prolific left-handed batsmen, Graeme Smith, was a very impulsive captain known for his aggressive sledding. He has over 9 thousand runs in Test Cricket and nearly 7 thousand runs in ODIs. Smith suffered from a rough patch in his form during a test series against Australia and decided to quit the game as Smith could only score 45 runs in 6 innings. He was only 33 years old when he bid goodbye to the game.
7. Kevin Pietersen
The South African-born English Cricketer who scored a rescuing half-century in his test debut against Australia when his team struggled at 21/5, Kevin Pietersen, marked his presence early on in the national team. With an average of 47 in tests, he scored a little over 8 thousand runs, including 23 centuries and three outstanding double centuries. But Pietersen was always surrounded by controversies. He got dropped from the team because of an alleged text message he sent to the South African players criticizing his coach and captain. Such off-field politics forced him to retire soon at the age of 33, but he made his mark and left the cricketing world with some fantastic memories.
8. Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu had a career full of ups and downs. A highly talented batsman whose career was a bed of thorns and roses. He made his presence felt when he scored a gritting fifty in his IPL debut, and then Rayudu went on to represent his country in blue colors, where he was constantly coming in and going out of the team. Unfortunately, after not making it in the squad of World Cup 2019, he took an emotional decision to retire from all forms of Cricket, but after two months, he came back and now plays IPL and domestic Cricket.
9. Sarah Taylor
Considered the best Wicket Keeper Batsman of all time in Women's Cricket. Sarah Taylor made his debut at a very young age of 17 and left, achieving many accolades for her country. She was part of the World Cup-winning England team in 2017. Sarah contributed to 232 dismissals as a wicket-keeper, which is the most by anyone in women's Cricket. Taylor retired from the game at the young age of 30. Because of her anxiety issues, which hindered her from enjoying the game she was so dedicated to.
10. Mohammad Amir
The last in this list comes to the Left Arm Pakistani Pacer Mohammad Amir. A struggling career that saw a ban of 5 years due to the fixing scandal of 2010. Mohammad Amir made a fantastic comeback and took the cricketing world by storm with his excellent reverse swinging deliveries. He was the key player in the ICC Champions Trophy Final. Where Amir shattered the Indian top 3, taking wickets of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli. He announced a sudden retirement of Cricket after having some heated problems with the PCB. He retired at the age of 29, saying he got tortured by PCB and couldn't play with this management.
