Cricket greats who walked away from international cricket in 2017
Every great thing comes to an end. Some cricket legends also called it quits to their fairytale careers this year. As the year draws to a close, we take a look at the top cricketers who retired from international cricket. Today, as we celebrate their contributions to the sport, we must admit they will always be missed.
Voges might not be a legend but nevertheless the 38-year-old's achievements can't be overshadowed. At the age of 35, Voges became the oldest to slam a hundred on his Test debut. Voges, who played 20 Tests, finished his career with an astonishing average of 61.87. Only Steven Smith and Sir Don Bradman boast a better average than Voges.
Arguably one of the best wrist spinners of the ball, Saeed Ajmal's career took an ugly turn after he was banned from playing because of his bowling action. But the man, who will always be remembered for his potent doosra, played a key role in Pakistan's 2009 ICC World T20 triumph. Ajmal finished his international career with 447 wickets.
Former Pakistan's captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, walked away from international cricket earlier this year as the country's most successful Test captain. Not only did he score 10,000+ runs for his nation, he also took them to the pinnacle of Test rankings. He might be remembered in India for handing them the inaugural ICC World T20, but Misbah was a key pillar for Pakistan throughout his career.
Shahid Afridi is the player who introduced the term 'power-hitting' with a 37 ball century. Afridi was just 16 then. Since then, he has retired five times and come out of retirement four times. A true entertainer, Afridi, was well known amongst his fans as 'Boom Boom'. All good things must come to an end and so does his international career.
The only Indian cricketer in this list, Ashish Nehra, finally retired this year after an injury prone career. Despite going under the knife for 12 times, this determined man could not be kept down by injuries. He played a crucial role in the 2011 World Cup's semi-final against Pakistan but missed out on the final due to an injury.
Not many cricketers can boast a triple hundred and 10,000 Test runs. Younis Khan bowed out from the sport as Pakistan's greatest Test batsman. The former captain led his team to the ICC World T20 title in 2009. Not just a great batsman, Younis Khan is one of the best slip fielders of all time with 286 catches to his name.
