5 anti-climactic endings to great careers

With Australia wrapping up the 1st Test of the 3-match Trans-Tasman series by an innings and 52 runs, Brendon McCullum's farewell has been all but spoiled. The swashbuckling Kiwi batsman and skipper too could manage just 10 runs in the 2 innings of his 100th Test, including a blob in the first essay.Looking at the events that transpired around McCullum's batting in the 1st Test, his glittering career for New Zealand may be heading towards an anti-climactic conclusion. Cricket is no stranger to not so happy endings to outstanding careers, a great example being iconic Australian batsman Donald Bradman, who fell for a duck in his final innings.In recent years too, some great batsmen from all over the cricketing globe have ended their careers on an inauspicious note. Here are 5 prominent examples.

#5 Michael Clarke (Australia)

Clarke had a forgettable outing in his final Test innings

Michael Clarke is one of the finest batsmen to emerge out of Australia in recent years and notched up some outstanding numbers in his career. In 115 Tests, Clarke scored 8,643 runs at a superb average of marginally over 49.

However, the final stages of his career served up an anti-climax for him, not only as a batsman but also as skipper of the Australian team. After all, what can be worse for a captain from either Australia or England than to lose the Ashes?

Although Clarke’s team did register an emphatic win in his final Test, the series was already in England’s kitty. The great Aussie batsman struggled to score and was dismissed for 15 in his last outing for his country.