Three Bowlers who retired from Test cricket at a very young age
Test cricket has always been the one that has provided a proper fight between the bat and ball, unlike the other two formats where the bowler is taken for runs. In this format, it is important for the batsmen to respect the bowler and play himself in. This is true especially in conditions that have a lot to offer to the bowlers. With the Test Championships beginning on August 1st, the players have to adapt to the transition from ODI to the Tests.
The bowlers around the world will play a crucial role for their team to win the championships. We have seen India performing well in the recent past because of their bowling department delivering in every Test match. Similarly, Australia and England have been a formidable force in the longer format because of their bowling line-up. But teams like Sri Lanka and Pakistan have found it difficult to perform consistently due to injuries and early retirements. The early retirement from some of their players have created a void that is tough to fill in. Let us have a look at three bowlers who retired from Tests at a very early age.
#3 Zafar Ansari
Zafar Ansari is a former England cricketer who bowled left-arm off-spin and batted down the order. He played for Surrey in the English county from 2010 to 2017 taking 128 first-class wickets in 71 games. He was also handy with the bat playing the anchor role down the order. He made his international debut against Ireland in a rain abandoned match which unfortunately turned out to be his only ODI in his career.
He was part of the squad that was to tour the UAE to play against Pakistan. But an injury forced him out of the team. He finally got the call to play against Bangladesh in the second test where he took two wickets and scored 13 runs. He then went on to play two Tests against India where he dismissed Ajinkya Rahane and Ravi Ashwin in the first test. A back injury ruled him out from the rest of the tour. After that, he never featured in a single international game and announced his retirement in April 2017 at the age of 25.