4 Legendary batsmen who were not given a send-off by their board
Cricket is known as a gentleman's game. The players who represent their nation at the international level do so for the love of the game. They get money, fame, and adulation in return. Knowing that their journey will come to an end, they aspire for a farewell game along with a formal celebration of their achievements. Legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar, Alastair Cook, and others were given exemplary farewell by their respective cricket boards.
There have been times when few players were dropped due to poor form or injury and never picked up in the squad again. Since they were at the last legs of their career, they retired without getting a formal send-off.
We take a look at five such legendary cricketers who were denied farewell by their boards.
#4 Mark Waugh
Mark Waugh was a superb middle-order batsman who played for Australia. A gifted stroke-maker, he played a crucial part in the dominance of Australia on the World cricket.
Waugh was a splendid slip fielder and a fine off-spinner. He played 128 Test matches and 244 ODI matches where he scored more than 16500 runs.
Waugh went through a lean period in 2001, so he was dropped in favor of Darren Lehman. He felt it was time for him to quit international cricket since there was no chance of a recall. He retired on October 28, 2002. At the press conference, he said, "Retiring was not a tough decision because I have now been dropped from both the one-day team and the Test team. At 37, and with there being so many talented youngsters about, I was smart enough to work out that there is not much chance of a recall and now is the right time to retire."
A player of his stature could have been treated differently by Cricket Australia and should have been given a farewell.
#3 Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul was a left-handed middle-order batsman from the West Indies, who never got his due in the international cricket. He started out in 1994 and played for almost 21 years. Along with Brian Lara, he was the mainstay of the Caribbean batting line-up.
Chanderpaul had an awkward batting stance, but it was almost impossible to get him out. He played 164 Test matches and 268 ODI matches in which he scored more than 20,000 runs.
In 2015, he was dropped for a series against Australia. He wanted one farewell Test, but the Board declined. He announced his retirement on January 23, 2016. Chanderpaul told ESPNcricinfo, "I was given a NOC by West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) with a clause in it that I retire on the 23rd (January)."
It was improper for the WICB to be so harsh on a player of such accomplishments. He should have been treated nicely.