6 of the most successful farewells in ODI history
Don Bradman – arguably the best batsman who ever lived – had a forgetful last inningsCricketers come and go, some leave on a high while others on a low. Everyone has bad days and sometimes those performances make you question your ability. But when a cricketer finally decides to leave the game, a fitting farewell is always in order, especially if they’ve served their country well.There have been many legends throughout cricketing history, which have called it a day and although they want to leave on a high – sometimes it just doesn’t work that way. However, we’ve seen some one-day games where a batsman steps out to bat for the last time and has made it memorable for not only himself but for the rest of the cricketing world.Here are six successful farewells in ODI cricket:
#1 Imran Khan in 1992
Skipper Imran Khan bowed out when he transformed a mediocre Pakistan team and led them to victory in the 1992 World Cup. Coming back from retirement, at the age of 39, Imran led Pakistan to their first and only World Cup victory when Pakistan defeated England in the final in Melbourne.
Imran won the toss and chose to bat and led from the front, after coming to the crease at 24 for 2. The skipper top scored with 72 off 110 balls, hitting six boundaries, but, unfortunately, succumbed to Richard Illingworth off Ian Botham.
England needed 250 to win the World Cup and legendary bowler Wasim Akram picked up 3 for 49 England couldn’t defeat the unpredictable Pakistani side. Imran took the last wicket of Illingworth and lifted up the World Cup trophy with Pakistan winning by 22 runs.