5 pairs of cricketers who retired together
Cricket is a team sport. Players tend to make friends while playing together for a club or their country. On a few occasions, the friendship between players became so strong that they decided to announce retirement together.
Just a few days ago, four cricketers of the West Indies women's cricket team, namely Anisa Mohammed, Shakera Selman, Kycia Knight, and Kyshona Knight announced their retirement at the same time. They enjoyed enormous success while playing for the West Indies team together.
It is rare to see four cricketers retiring at the same time, but here's a list of five such instances when a pair of players hung up their boots together.
#1 Former Indian cricketers MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina
The most popular pair to feature on the list are MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina. They won the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy together while playing for India. Dhoni and Raina even played a big role in Chennai Super Kings' success in IPL and Champions League T20.
On August 15, 2020, Dhoni stunned the world by announcing retirement from international cricket via an Instagram post. Soon after, Raina uploaded a picture on Instagram and announced his retirement as well.
#2 Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara
Sri Lankan greats Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara bid farewell to the T20I format together after the T20 World Cup 2014. The Sri Lankan team gave them a fitting farewell by winning the T20 World Cup that year in Bangladesh.
Playing the final match of their T20I careers, Jayawardene and Sangakkara had a 24-run partnership for the third wicket. While Jayawardene got out for 24, Sangakkara remained not out till the end, scoring a 35-ball 52.
#3 Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan
The West Indies tour of 2017 marked the end of an era for Pakistan cricket, as veteran batters Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan retired together. The series ended in a dramatic fashion, with Pakistan recording a 101-run victory in Dominica to seal the series 2-1.
It was the last over of the third Test, and Pakistan needed one wicket to win. Yasir Shah stepped up and scalped Shannon Gabriel's wicket on the last ball to ensure Misbah and Younis signed off on a winning note.
#4 Ed Joyce and Tim Murtagh
Former Ireland players Ed Joyce and Tim Murtagh retired from T20Is together on May 28, 2015. Both players retired from the shortest format of the game with immediate effect. Explaining the decision to retire, Joyce had said at the time (via ESPN Cricinfo):
"With potentially more ODIs and the possibility of Test cricket in the near future as well, I feel like I'd be able to contribute more in these formats if I stop playing Twenty20."
#5 Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin
Former T20 World Cup winners Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin decided to end their careers together on July 18, 2022. Both batters were an integral part of the West Indies team in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
While Ramdin shared a lengthy note to announce retirement, Simmons' retirement came to light after his CPL franchise Trinbago Knight Riders congratulated him on his great career.