10 Shocking Cricket Retirements That Broke Millions of Hearts

Discover the Top 10 Shocking Cricket Retirements of all time—heartbreaking exits of legends like AB de Villiers, Watson & Sangakkara.

Introduction

There are some names in the world of cricket who stepped aside and presented themselves as a sacrifice just to give new players a chance. These were the players who held big records to their name, but by deciding on Cricket Retirement, they left their fans heartbroken. If they wanted, they could have played cricket for many more years, but they chose to end their careers so that new players could get opportunities.

So, in this article, we are going to talk about ten such cricketers who took Cricket Retirement to give young players a chance and left their fans saddened.

A legendary name in the world of cricket, known as Mr. 360. He was the kind of player the entire South African team relied on, and because of him, the team won many matches. AB de Villiers, one of the most loved players in the world, officially announced his Cricket Retirement from all formats on 19th November 2021. His Cricket Retirement not only saddened cricket fans but also disappointed many fellow cricketers.

AB de Villiers is admired worldwide because he invented many new shots and set records that are very hard to break. Born in South Africa in 1984, his international career began in 2004. He played 114 Test matches for South Africa, scoring 8,765 runs with 22 centuries and 46 fifties.

He also played 228 One Day Internationals, scoring 9,577 runs. In T20 Internationals, he represented South Africa in 78 matches and scored 1,672 runs. After a brilliant career, he chose Cricket Retirement to give young players a chance. His Cricket Retirement became a turning point for many upcoming talents in South African cricket.

Shane Watson was among those players who said goodbye to cricket after scoring mountains of runs. Although the team still needed him, he stuck to his values and decided to retire, giving others a chance. His Cricket Retirement was a surprise for many because he was still performing at a high level. But Shane Watson believed that his Cricket Retirement would open doors for fresh talent in the Australian squad.

Shane Watson played for Australia from 2002 to 2016. He appeared in a total of 59 Test matches, 190 One Day Internationals, and 58 T20 matches for Australia. In Test cricket, he scored 3,731 runs and took 75 wickets. In 190 ODI matches, he scored 5,757 runs and took 168 wickets. In T20 Internationals, he made 1,462 runs and took 48 wickets.

His powerful innings, like the 185 off 96 balls against Bangladesh in 2011, are unforgettable. Even after Cricket Retirement, he stayed connected to the game by becoming the President of the Australian Cricketers Association in 2019. His journey after Cricket Retirement has been inspirational for many young athletes

DJ Bravo, the famous cricketer from West Indies who is now known as a popular singer, made many cricket fans around the world sad with his Cricket Retirement. He used to entertain people not only by playing cricket but also by celebrating with dances after taking wickets or hitting sixes. Unfortunately, due to poor relations with the West Indies Cricket Board, he had to make the decision of Cricket Retirement.

DJ Bravo was born in 1983 in the West Indies. His cricket career started in 2004 with a match against England. He played a total of 40 Test matches in which he scored 2,200 runs and took 86 wickets. Bravo played 164 One Day Internationals for West Indies, scoring 2,968 runs and taking 199 wickets. He also played 91 T20 matches for West Indies, where he scored 1,255 runs and took 78 wickets.

Then, on 31 January 2015, due to poor relations with the West Indies Cricket Board, he announced his Cricket Retirement from Test cricket and later in October 2018, from all formats. However, he continued playing in international leagues

In December 2019, he took back his Cricket Retirement and became part of the West Indies squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. On 6 September 2021, he played his last T20 match against Australia in UAE and said goodbye to cricket forever. Now he works as a successful singer after his final Cricket Retirement.

Alastair Cook is one of those few English players who performed the most for England. He played cricket for England from 2006 to 2018. Alastair Cook was born on 25 December 1984 in England. His international career began in 2006 with a Test match against India. Cook played a total of 161 Test matches, and in those 161 matches, he scored 12,472 runs. He also played 92 One Day International matches and scored 3,204 runs in those games.

Cook was England’s most successful batsman and a Test match specialist in world cricket. He is considered the sixth-highest Test run scorer of all time and the second-highest run scorer for England. He was the youngest player to score 12,000 runs in Test cricket. He was also the first England player to win 50 Test matches as captain and scored 33 centuries during that time. His unexpected Cricket Retirement was a shock to the cricketing world.

Many records are in Cook’s name, such as being the youngest Englishman to score more than 5,000 runs in Test cricket, and the youngest player in the world to reach 12,000 Test runs. Because of these achievements, his Cricket Retirement left fans around the world very upset.

Mitchell Johnson from Australia is also among those players who took Cricket Retirement without any major reason, just to give a chance for new talented players. Because of this, many cricket lovers were very upset. Mitchell Johnson was born in 1981 in Australia and played cricket for Australia from 2005 to 2015. He played 73 Test matches, 153 One Day Internationals, and 30 T20 matches. In 73 Test matches, he took 313 wickets. Mitchell Johnson played 153 ODI matches and took 239 wickets.

Johnson represented Australia for 10 years and was considered one of the greatest fast bowlers of his era. He helped his country win many major World Cups such as the 2007 and 2015 Cricket World Cups and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006 and 2009. His excellent bowling played a key role in winning those titles. His unexpected Cricket Retirement created a big gap in Australia’s bowling attack.

He was the first bowler after Brett Lee to take 313 wickets in Test cricket, while Brett Lee had taken only 310. Johnson’s early Cricket Retirement was a shock for fans who believed he still had more to offer to the game.

Kevin Pietersen, who won the 2009 T20 World Cup for England, faced a very unfortunate situation. The England Cricket Board removed Kevin Pietersen from the team because of disputes with coaches. After that, he planned to play for South Africa and went there, but when he returned to England, he was not included in the team again, which forced him to take Cricket Retirement. His fans felt deep pain because of his Cricket Retirement under such circumstances.

Kevin Pietersen was born in 1980 in South Africa. His international career began in 2004 while playing for England. He played 104 Test matches, 136 One Day Internationals, and 37 T20 matches. In Tests, he scored 8,181 runs, in T20s 1,176 runs, and in ODIs 4,440 runs. In his career, he scored 32 international centuries, including 23 in Tests and 9 in ODIs.

He was the fastest player to cross 2,000 runs in One Day Internationals and later reached 7,000 runs. He was the third English player to top the ICC ODI rankings in 2007. In 2005, Pietersen won several awards including ICC ODI Player of the Year and Emerging Player of the Year. He was also part of the ICC World XI against Australia in 2005, and his early Cricket Retirement left many fans disappointed.

Morne Morkel – Number 7

Morne Morkel is among those players who took Cricket Retirement despite being fully fit. Morne Morkel helped South Africa win many matches with his bowling. He was born in 1984 in South Africa and played cricket for South Africa from 2006 to 2018.

Morkel played 86 Test matches and took 309 wickets in those 86 Tests. In 117 One Day Internationals, he took 188 wickets, while in 46 T20 matches, he claimed 47 wickets. He also took five wickets in eight consecutive Test matches.

Morne Morkel is the fifth South African bowler to take 300 wickets in Test cricket. He also came to Pakistan in 2017 to play three T20 matches as part of the World XI. Later in 2023, he served as the bowling coach of Pakistan. His early Cricket Retirement was an emotional moment for South African cricket, and his absence as a bowler and coach was deeply felt.

Azhar Ali – Number 8

Former captain and opening batsman of the Pakistan team, Azhar Ali, presented himself as a sacrifice for the new future, because of which the national team missed him a lot. It should be remembered that Azhar Ali was part of the team that won the Champions Trophy and played an important role in that victory. Along with Fakhar Zaman, he scored more than 150 runs, helping Pakistan score over 300 and defeat India in the Champions Trophy final.

On 13 October 2016, in a Test match against West Indies in UAE, Azhar played the best innings of his career by scoring 302 not out. In his Test career, he made a total of 19 centuries, and also scored 3 centuries in ODIs. Azhar Ali was born in 1985 and played for Pakistan from 2010 to 2018.

He played 73 Test matches and 53 One Day Internationals for Pakistan. In ODIs, he scored 1,845 runs, while in Test matches, he scored 5,917 runs. It is worth noting that Azhar first took Cricket Retirement from ODIs and T20s, and later also announced his Cricket Retirement from Test cricket.

Luke Ronchi, born in Australia, is among those cricketers who played for two countries. Luke Ronchi played his first match for Australia and scored the fastest fifty in that match. Later, he joined New Zealand cricket and secured a place in the team based on his performance.

His first debut was in 2008 for Australia, and after coming to New Zealand, he waited five years and then played his second debut in 2013 for New Zealand. Playing four years for New Zealand, he appeared in 4 Test matches, 50 One Day Internationals, and 32 T20 matches.

Luke Ronchi’s best performance was in One Day Internationals, where he scored 1,397 runs at an average of 23.67. His highest score was 170 not out. He has served both New Zealand and Australia as a player and coach. From April 2019 till the Cricket World Cup, he worked as New Zealand’s wicketkeeping and fielding coach.

After his Cricket Retirement, he stayed involved in cricket through coaching. Ronchi’s Cricket Retirement marked the end of a rare dual-international career.

There was a time when Kumar Sangakkara led the Sri Lankan team to be the number one team in the world. Sangakkara and Jayawardene were considered the backbone of Sri Lanka. But with time, a lot of new talent came into the Sri Lankan team, and because senior players were present, the new talent wasn’t getting a chance.

So, Sangakkara and Jayawardene decided on Cricket Retirement. At that time, Kumar Sangakkara was in full form and could have played for another three to four years. But Sangakkara took Cricket Retirement to give opportunities to other players, which made the whole nation very sad

Kumar Sangakkara was born on 27 October 1977. He played for Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2015. Sangakkara played 134 Test matches, 404 One Day Internationals, and 56 T20 matches for Sri Lanka. In Test matches, he scored 12,400 runs. Similarly, in 404 One Day Internationals, he scored 14,234 runs, and in T20s, he managed to score 1,382 runs.

Sangakkara was an excellent wicketkeeper-batsman with 38 Test centuries and 25 ODI centuries. He is also known as one of the all-time best batsmen. Sangakkara is the second batsman to have scored the most runs—28,026. After his Cricket Retirement, he started working as a commentator and remains a respected voice in the game.

FAQs

Q1. Will AB de Villiers play in 2026?
A. AB de Villiers has expressed and desire to play the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Q2. Is Kumar Sangakkara still playing?
A. No, Kumar Sangakkara is not still playing international cricket. He retired from international cricket in 2015.

Q3. What age did Shane Watson retire?
A. Former Australian Cricketer and Captain announced his retirement at the age of 39 year.

Q4. Why did Mitchell Johnson retire?
A. Mitchell Johnson wanting to spend more and more time with his family, therefore he announced his cricket retirement in 2015.

Q5. Why did Morne Morkel retire?
A. Morne Morkel retired from international cricket in 2018, like Mitchell Jonhson he wanting to spend time with his family.

These were the ten players who, despite being in full form, retired to give new talent a chance and left their fans heartbroken. Their Cricket Retirements deeply moved cricket lovers around the world, and these decisions will always be remembered.