5 International cricketers who had a perfect ending to their Test careers
A retirement is always an extremely emotional moment for a sportsperson. In addition to that, a perfect ending to an international career is a near myth. Not everyone gets their last hurrah spot on since at the twilight of their careers, players are exhausted and their reflexes start to get a lot weaker.
It requires a special team effort to get a swansong, that comes in a perfect manner. There have been cricketers who have played splendidly and contributed heavily to their team's cause throughout their careers but bowed out from the international stage in an inauspicious manner. Players like Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid and Michael Clarke, who have contributed in such enormous ways, have been deprived of the same.
However, there have been stories where players have played their last match exactly like how their debut match should have been and have indeed finished their career on high. Misbah Ul-Haq, Morne Morkel, Shane Warne, and Justin Langer are some of the most prominent examples of players who have ended their careers on a sky high.
In addition to a guard of honour, the player also goes for a lap of honour and is hoisted by his teammates on their shoulders around at the park.
The guard of honour has been one such gesture which has been in trend and been an extremely friendly one. In the recent past, players like Alastair Cook, Mitchell Johnson and Brendon McCullum, who were high-quality players, have had a taste the guard of honour.
A guard of honour is something which is also given when a player crosses a certain landmark. We take a look at some players who couldn't have bowed out of the international arena in a more perfect way.