5 cricketers to get the most emotional farewells in the 21st century
When legendary cricketers bid adieu to the sport it certainly causes a lot of heartache to their fans, not only from his/her own country but also from the entire cricketing fraternity around the world.
The saddest part is that a fan gets so used to seeing them on the television that when he/she retires, it is as if a piece goes missing in the admirers' life. It feels almost unreal as if a storm has shaken you up and the fact is agonizingly hard to digest if one is a die-hard fan.
However, they have to realize that a cricketer or for that matter a player in any sport can not play forever. Today let us celebrate the five cricketers who have received, according to my opinion, the most emotional farewells in recent times.
There are a plethora of options to choose from if we were to compile a list of 5 cricketers so one may agree or disagree with this list. Everyone is welcome to their opinions and can share the names missing from this list in the comments section below citing the reasons why they loved the cricketer so much.
Here is our list.
#5 Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath
There is no doubt that Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath are two of the finest bowlers Australia has ever produced. While the former is a spin maestro, the latter befuddled batsman with his ability to swing the ball.
The right-arm leg break spin bowler, Shane Warne had a career spanning 15 years. Controversies aside, he still remains the finest spin bowlers of all time. In the 145 Tests he played, Warne snapped up 708 wickets and set the record before Muttiah Muralitharan overtook him in the same year he retired (2007). Warnie or the Spin King, as he is popularly known, still remains the 2nd highest Test wicket-taker. He even has an impressive 293 wickets in 194 ODI matches. The Australian played his last Test vs England at Sydney Cricket Ground, on January 02, 2007.
Warne was known for his unique slow run-up to the crease as well as generating a lot of spin off the pitch. To add to his exploits in bowling, he was also handy with the bat and his aggressive batting style helped Australia come out of difficult situations multiple times. Warne also led Rajasthan Royals to win the trophy in the inaugural edition of the IPL.
While Warne would come and snap up wickets in the middle overs, Glenn would set the ball rolling for Australia by picking wickets early on. Glenn McGrath is ranked 5th in the list of all-time top wicket-takers in Tests with 563 wickets in 124 matches.
In a career spanning over 14 years, he was one of the most feared bowlers. He was the greatest fast bowlers in Tests until James Anderson overtook him and reached 564 Test wickets in the recently concluded India-England series. The Pigeon, as he is often called, used to keep it simple and frustrate the batsmen. He did not have an extraordinary pace but his precision was just immaculate and he would constantly bowl in all the right areas. Glenn has to his name 29 5-wicket hauls.
One can regard him a legend not only on the field but off it too. He formed the 'The McGrath Foundation' post-retirement, an organization which aids breast cancer patients. A true gentleman indeed.
McGrath, along with legendary Australian batsman Justin Langer, too retired vs England at Sydney Cricket Ground, on January 02, 2007 -- the same match in which Warne had retired. The Australian cricketing fraternity lost three of the most inspirational players on the same day. The entire Sydney Cricket Ground was unsurprisingly in tears.