In cricket, several players decided to go for retirement due to various reasons. Some of them took these decisions in the heat of the moment and realized it late. A few of them have realized this and made a comeback. In this article, we are going to talk about 5 such players.
1. Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen made his international debut in an ODI fixture against Zimbabwe in November 2004 and contributed a lot to his team in form of runs. However, in 2012, he reached an agreement with the ECB, which allowed him to return to the international team across all the formats. He played last against the whites in Ashes. In 2018, he finally announced his retirement. He piled up over 13,000 runs, with 32 tons and 67 fifties.
2. Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Bhanuka Rajapaksa was a great performer in International cricket. In eight matches of the T20 World Cup 2021, he mustered over 155 runs at an average of 38.75. On January 3 2022, he announced his retirement owing to his familial obligation, But, after 10 days, he requested the Sri Lanka Cricket Board to withdraw his application, after a talk with the Sports minister and national selectors.
3. Shahid Afridi
In the 2011 World Cup after Pakistan lost the semi-finals against India, he was sacked from the leadership role, and as a result, he decided to retire from international cricket in May 2011. Five months after the all-rounder again made a comeback and featured in a bilateral series against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
4. Carl Hooper
Carl Hooper made his ODI debut against New Zealand and had been an integral part of the team since then. He remained a key player in the middle-order for over a decade. Before the 1999 World Cup citing the reason for the birth of his child he wanted to take a leave from his international career. Two years later in 2001, he finally made his comeback.
5. Brendan Taylor
Brendon Taylor made his ODI and T20 debut in the 2004 series against Sri Lanka After 11 years, he decided to retire from Zimbabwe Cricket. Meanwhile, he was playing for Nottinghamshire County Club and this contract ended in 2017. He made a comeback to the Zimbabwe team. In 2022, he was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he accepted a breach of anti-corruption rules, he cannot take part in international cricket till 2025.
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