Top 11 Cricketers who announced comeback after retirement

Retirements are an emotional moment for any cricketer as one has to bid adieu to the game that has given them everything. Every player carefully considers his decision for a long time to call time on his career. However, there have been a few players in the history of the game who’ve made a U-turn on their decision and come out of retirement to once again play for their country. While some comeback decisions worked wonders for their respective teams, some didn't work well and led to another forgettable chapter of their careers. Let's take a look at seven such cricketers who came back from retirement to trade their luck again in the game: 11. Carl Hooper Carl Hooper. (Photo Source: Twitter) Former Windies skipper Carl Hooper retired just three weeks before the ICC World Cup 1999. His announcement came as a shocker for many in the fraternity, with not much time left in the mega event. He also was living in Adelaide for some time before making a surprise return in 2001. Hooper was an important cricketer for the Windies during that transition phase and was made the captain immediately after he announced his comeback. He went on to get his 100th Test cap and 200th ODI cap for the Caribbeans, joining a very elite list of cricketers. The all-rounder led West Indies in the World Cup in 2003 hosted by South Africa. However, after a terrible campaign, he once again hung up his boots and this time, there was no coming back. Hooper is still rated as one of the most underrated all-rounders in the world as he became the first cricketer ever to have the unique feat of scoring 5000 runs, picking 100 wickets and taking 100 catches in both Tests and ODIs. Only South African legend Jacques Kallis has managed to enter the exclusive club after Hooper. 10. Kevin Pietersen A very enigmatic presence on the field and a poster boy of English cricket during his time, Kevin Pietersen scored more than 8,000 runs in Test cricket for the Three Lions. Apart from captivating the audience with his breathtaking strokes on the field, Pietersen also had his fair share of controversies during his illustrious career. The Pietermaritzburg-born cricketer announced his shocking retirement in 2011 from white-ball cricket at the peak of his career to improve his game in the longest format. But less than 60 days later, he took a U-Turn on his decision and was selected in the squad almost immediately in ODIs and T20Is. Pietersen holds the record for being the fastest to 2,000 runs in ODI cricket amongst the Englishmen. He scored 4,440 runs in ODIs for the country before his career came to an abrupt end. The swashbuckling batter then became a full-time commentator and voiced his opinions throughout the 2019 World Cup. 9. Brendan Taylor Brendan Taylor is touted as one of the greatest batters to hail from Zimbabwe as he's the second-highest run-scorer from the nation in ODIs. The Harare-born cricketer made a sensational comeback to International cricket after announcing his retirement right after scoring a brilliant hundred against India in the 2015 World Cup. Following his retirement, the batting star was signed by Nottinghamshire to ply his trade in County cricket. However, his stint in England wasn’t a memorable one and he felt a little bit under pressure. Stating personal reasons in 2017, he was released from Nottinghamshire and was once again eligible to play for Zimbabwe. After his return, he wasn’t the same batter for his nation and eventually ended his career 102 runs short of eclipsing Andy Flower as the highest run-scorer in ODIs for his country. 8. Javagal Srinath The Karnataka-born seamer is one of the greatest seamers to have ever played for India as he's the second-highest wicket-taker for the country in ODIs with 315 scalps to his name. Srinath was the leader of the Indian pace attack for several years as he picked up over 550 wickets in his international career. In 2002, he announced his sudden retirement from Tests following the end of the Caribbean tour. However, the then-Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly convinced him to come out of retirement to play the home series against the Windies and lead the attack in the 2003 World Cup. Srinath couldn't say no to his captain and went on to stage a remarkable comeback in the marquee event. The right-arm seamer picked up 16 wickets from 11 matches at an average of 23.06 and an economy of 4.04. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament for India and bid adieu to the game following India's heartbreaking loss in the final against Australia by 125 runs. 7. Shahid Afridi Shahid Afridi is a no-brainer on this list. The former Pakistani captain announced his retirement from the game on multiple occasions and made a U-turn on his decision time and again. Afridi's retirement saga first kick-started in 2006 when he first decided to call time on his Test career but took his decision back two weeks later. However, he finally announced his retirement from the longest format after playing just one more Test which Pakistan lost against Australia at Lord's in 2010 under his leadership. After bidding adieu to the longest format, Afridi further announced his retirement from ODIs in 2011 right after the ODI World Cup following his removal from the captaincy. However, he once again reconsidered his decision and came out of retirement five months later. The Khyber Agency-born cricketer once again hung up his boots in 2017 from all forms of international cricket but came back in 2018 to play one final game for Rest of the World at the Lord’s which turned out to be his last international appearance. 6. Imran Khan Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan is touted as the greatest player to have ever graced the cricket field from his country. One of cricket’s most dynamic figures of all time, Imran Khan built a solid unit after coming back from retirement and helped his country win their only ODI World Cup in 1992. The ex-Pakistan Prime Minister retired from International cricket after the 1987 World Cup, which was co-hosted by India and Pakistan. Despite all the amazing numbers he achieved in Test cricket, not winning the World Cup remained a huge regret for him. He returned to the International scenario upon the request of the then-Pakistan President General Zia-ul-Haq. Soon after coming back, he picked up 23 wickets against West Indies in just 3 Tests in the 1988 series. He rated that performance as his last-best bowling rendition as a Pakistani cricketer. After the final against England in 1992, Imran Khan never played International cricket again. 5. Ben Stokes England all-rounder Ben Stokes is the latest addition to the list as he’s returned to the England squad ahead of the World Cup 2023. Notably, Stokes announced his retirement from ODIs in July 2022 to manage his workload. His decision didn't go down well with his fans as they desperately wanted him to be a part of the England squad for the ODI World Cup 2023 to help them with their title defence. The all-rounder earlier quashed all rumours of his possible return to the ODI team ahead of the World Cup and said that he will go on vacation after the end of Ashes 2023. But much to the delight of his fans, Stokes has returned to the England ODI setup for the upcoming four-match ODI series against New Zealand making his intentions clear for the World Cup. 4. Bhanuka Rajapaksa Bhanuka Rajapaksa. (Photo Source: CricTracker) The top-order batter of Sri Lanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, after making his international debut in 2019, abruptly decided to hand in his papers on January 3, 2022, to Sri Lanka Cricket citing "familial obligations" being the primary reason for the same. However, just after a week post his decision, he decided to withdraw his decision, further stating that he wished to represent his nation in the game he loves with all his heart "for years to come". It was rumoured that the real reason for Rajapaksa's resignation was prompted by the fresh set of tougher requirements related to fitness and fielding due to which he had already had a fallout with the then-head coach of Sri Lanka, Mickey Arthur. It was Rajapaksa's retirement from the game that fuelled a stricter batch of guidelines revolving around the players wanting to retire from international cricket as a whole. 3. Moeen Ali Moeen Ali. (Photo Source: Twitter) Moeen Ali, the ex-English all-rounder recently confirmed his retirement from international cricket. However, this is not the first time he has taken such a stance, particularly about Test cricket. Ali had previously decided to cease his participation in Test cricket post-England hosting India in 2021, citing that he struggled to "get in the zone" and that he felt isolated concerning his touch in red-ball cricket. After nearly two years of not playing a first-class game, the England and Wales Cricket Board, in particular Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum, and Rob Key requested Ali to reconsider his stance and make himself for the Ashes in 2023. The main reason for the SOS call sent to Moeen was the untimely lower-back stress fracture to left-arm spinner, Jack Leach. 2. Imad Wasim Imad Wasim. (Source - Getty Images) Pakistan all-rounder, Imad Wasim, who had declared his international retirement in November 2023, professed his availability for the national side for the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup after taking a U-turn in March 2024. However, Imad was very clear in stating that he wasn't expecting to sign a central contract with the team and would only be available till the end of the marquee event to be played in the Americas. Although there was no official confirmation from the Pakistan Cricket Board for quite some time post Imad made his way back, it was almost expected that he would be considered for selection, given his performance in the Pakistan Super League 2024 where he maintained an economy rate of just 6.60 as well as his track record in the Caribbean Premier League over the years. He did ultimately go on to don the jersey at the global event. 1. Mohammad Amir Mohammad Amir. (Source - Getty Images) Ace pace bowler of Pakistan, Mohammad Amir, retired from international cricket in 2020, citing his being "mentally tortured" as one of the main factors behind his resignation from the game. However, a day post Imad Wasim reversed his call on retirement to make himself available for the 20-over carnival, Amir followed suit. Amir claimed that after consulting with his family and well-wishers, he wanted to make his way back to serve the nation at the World Cup. Although Amir didn't perform to the standard at which Imad played in the ninth instalment of the tournament, Amir was a genuine alternative which the Pakistan Cricket Board were obliged to utilize due to Shaheen Afridi not being at full tilt post his return from a finger injury, Naseem Shah only just returning from a protracted layoff back then, as well as Harif Rauf being injured due to dislocating his shoulder courtesy an inopportune dive while completing a catch during a PSL encounter.

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Top 11 Cricketers who announced comeback after retirement

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