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5 cricketers who made successful comebacks after battling cancer
Athletes are often thought of as warriors, invincibles, for they excel at their sport. However, throughout history, many athletes have had to live with diseases, sometimes even being forced to cut their careers short despite not having made a name for themselves yet. Cricketers being no exception. In the hectic cricketing schedule, more and more cricketers are susceptible to not just physical injuries, but the psychological challenges that are part and parcel of the game.
Recently news broke out that Michael Carberry, the Hampshire and former England batsman, has been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour. This was particularly shocking, considering Carberry had represented Hampshire in a T20 game against Essex just days ago Carberry’s plight prompted an outpouring of support from the cricket fraternity including teammates and opponents, with ‘good friend’ Shane Warne leading the way.
As he prepares to fight the illness, he can take heart from the stories of courage of cricketers who fought the disease defiantly, showcasing immense willpower to bounce back from the life-threatening scenarios:
5) Michael Clarke
Cricket’s played under sunny skies but what happens when the sun becomes your enemy? Former Australian captain Michael Clarke suffered from melanoma, popularly known as skin cancer.
Clarke was operated on to remove three cancers from his nose and lips, forcing him to miss the test series against West Indies in 2006. After a New South Wales training session, he noticed a small irregular spot on his nose. Without further delaying the process, he took up the Australian Cricketers’ Association’s offer for a free skin screening, while the scans revealed a “low-grade skin cancer”.
Though the skin cancer scare forced Clarke to ditch his baggy green cap for a wide-brimmed floppy hat to offer more protection to his face, he resumed his career without further issues, going on to lead Australia to the summit in test cricket rankings and a World Cup triumph at home.