5 great players who came out of retirement

Retirement is unfortunately something every player must face, no matter how much he loves the game. Many cricketers go on to become coaches or try some other pursuit they did not have time for while they were following the hectic schedule of international cricket. But then there are those, who retire – but come back in style. The charm of the gentleman’s game is too much to resist, it seems. For some, it is a wise decision; for most, it is a short-lived mistake.Here are our favourite five comebacks after retirements. 

#1 Shahid Afridi

Afridi’s Test comeback was shortlived

Afridi probably holds the record for retiring the most number of times. In 2010, he was made the Test captain of the Pakistan side, and after just a single match, he quit. His reasons were lack of form and inability to play the longer version of the game. He next retired right after he led Pakistan to the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup.

Oh, and this is not it. After being replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq as skipper, Afridi again announced retirement, citing differences with coach Waqar. He came back after that too. He has been criticized by Imran Khan for this practice of his.

Khan called Afridi’s retirement a ‘joke’. All this aside, Afridi is a phenomenal player. He is known for his aggressive batting style and his right arm leg spin. He also holds the record of having hit the most number of sixes in the history of ODI cricket, and the longest ever six in the history of cricket. He has retired from ODI Cricket now, and has revealed that he would quitting from T20 as well next year after the World Cup in India.