Advertisment

Five players who shockingly retired from one format at a young age

On July 18, England all-rounder Ben Stokes shockingly announced his retirement from ODI cricket citing physical fatigue and fitness.

author-image
Jennifer
New Update

MS Dhoni, Ben Stokes (Image Credit : Twitter)

On July 18, England all-rounder Ben Stokes shockingly announced his retirement from ODI cricket citing physical fatigue and fitness. He has said that his body just doesn't allow him to play all forms of the game anymore. This decision shocked the fans but looking deeply into this, it is not very surprising. In the last two or three decades, the number of games per year has increased.

Advertisment

Also, not to forget, the sprouting of T20 Leagues and T20 internationals have made the job a lot more difficult for the players. This is the reason players take a rest in some of the series. Also, looking at the past events, it can be said that players have given up on one format to keep playing international cricket. In this listicle, we will discuss five players who took early retirement from one format.

Five players who quit one format

MS Dhoni MS Dhoni: (Image Credit: Twitter)

Advertisment
  1. MS Dhoni - Tests

In December 2014, after the Boxing Day Test against Australia, he decided to quit Test cricket and handed the captaincy to Virat Kohli. In hindsight, he was hinting at the decision since 2013, citing that playing three formats was getting difficult for him.

After retiring, he kept playing white-ball formats till 2019. As a captain till 2017, and as a player after that. One could contribute to the fact that he was a wicketkeeper batter and a captain, which might have taken a toll on him. 

Advertisment

 

Quinton de Kock Quinton de Kock (Image Credit: Twitter)

2. Quinton De Kock- Tests

The left-hander batter decided to retire from the longest form of the game early this year. Interestingly enough, he didn't even wait for the home series against India to end. The wicketkeeper batter decided to retire after the first Test which the visitors won.

He cited a lack of quality time with his family and wanting to spend more time with them, especially after the birth of his child. Just like Dhoni, he used to keep wickets across formats which might have taken a toll on him. 

Lasith Malinga Lasith Malinga (Image Credit : Twitter)

3. Lasith Malinga - Tests

The former Sri Lanka pacer decided to retire from red-ball cricket way back in 2011. A lot of fans might remember for his white-ball legacy. However, it needs to be noted that he played 30 Tests from 2004 to 2010.

Due to the workload of playing three formats and his non-conventional bowling action, the 'Slinga' decided to bid adieu to the long format of the game. He kept playing international cricket till early 2020. 

Mahmudullah Mahmudullah ( Image Credit: Twitter)

4. Mahmudullah - Tests

The Bangladesh batting all-rounder decided to retire from Test cricket last year. Unlike the above-mentioned, he was reasonably old enough to decide not to play the format. He has played 50 Tests from 2009 to 2021.

Currently, he is playing the white-ball formats and the fans would want him to do well in these formats. After all, he decided to retire from the red-ball game after scoring 150 not out against Zimbabwe. 

Ben Stokes Ben Stokes (Image Credit : Twitter)

5. Ben Stokes - ODI

He is the first player on the list to retire from ODIs. The 2019 World Cup winner decided to retire from the game after having a long thought about his future. In a conversation with Sky Sports Cricket, ahead of the ongoing ODI between England and South Africa, he said that he made up his mind during the India series.

The New Zealand-born player will continue to play Tests as he is the skipper and the T20I format. The schedule of the England cricket team might have forced them to take this decision.

Cricket News General News MS Dhoni Ben Stokes Lasith Malinga Quinton de Kock Mahmudullah