3 times a captain stunned the cricketing world with his shock retirement
Tamim Iqbal has stunned the cricketing world with the announcement that he's retiring from all forms of international cricket effective immediately after Bangladesh's defeat to Afghanistan in the first of a three-match ODI series.
This leaves Bangladesh in the lurch as Tamim was the ODI captain, and they now need to decide on a leader only three months before a World Cup.
He's one of the best players to ever play for Bangladesh, and his numbers, especially in ODI cricket, make for splendid viewing. Tamim has scored 8313 runs in 241 ODIs at an average of 36.62 and 5134 runs in 70 Test matches, averaging 38.89.
This isn't the first instance of a captain retiring in such a shocking manner. Here are three other skippers who unexpectedly announced their retirement.
#3 Eoin Morgan (England)
Arguably one of the greatest white-ball captains in the modern era, Eoin Morgan led England's white-ball revolution and was an integral part of their 2019 World Cup-winning campaign and their rise as a force to reckon with in ODIs and T20Is.
The southpaw played close to 250 ODIs and 115 T20Is for England, captaining the team in 126 ODIs and 72 T20Is, with a whopping 118 wins across both formats. He was also a key batter for England in the middle order, averaging nearly 40 in ODI cricket, and helped transform English cricket into the limited-overs powerhouse they are now.
He announced his retirement from international cricket on June 29, 2022 after a run of poor form in both formats. While he hoped to play as captain till the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Morgan surprisingly announced his retirement four months before the tournament, with Jos Buttler taking over the reins and eventually winning the title.
#2 Graeme Smith (South Africa)
One of the best batters and captains of the 21st century, Graeme Smith took charge of a Proteas side at the tender age of 22 and rebuilt the team, making them a formidable opposition to face both home and away. The southpaw scored plenty of runs across formats, captained South Africa in 284 matches, and won 163 of those matches, with a staggering win % of 57.
It was shocking to see him announce his retirement from international cricket during Australia's tour of South Africa in March 2014 despite being only 33 years old. Smith amassed 9265 runs in 117 matches at a stellar average of 48.25 and nearly 7000 runs in 197 ODIs at an average of 37.98.
He's arguably the best Proteas skipper and one of the best captains of this generation.
#1 MS Dhoni (India)
It's remarkable to think that nearly nine years after he announced his shocking decision to retire from Test cricket, MS Dhoni is still playing top-level cricket and winning trophies. One of the best captains of this generation, the adulation for MS Dhoni has only grown over time.
His Test retirement during the 2014/15 Border Gavaskar Trophy came as a surprise to many, with Virat Kohli taking over from 'Captain Cool' and successfully leading the side for many years that followed. Post the Boxing Day Test at the MCG in what was the third of a four-match series, Dhoni announced his decision to retire from Test cricket, with Kohli taking charge as the captain from the SCG Test.
India won 27 Test matches out of 60 under Dhoni's leadership, losing 18 and drawing 15. He resigned as the ODI and T20I captain in January 2017 and retired from all forms of international cricket on August 15, 2020.