Cricket is a game that demands extreme fitness from the players and its importance has grown ever so much in modern day cricket. With players like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, there is so much stress on the acrobatics on the field. Gymming is also an important aspect of the present day player, they want to be ready for any kind of situation on the field.

But this hasn&#8217;t been the case with many players from the past. Some of them have injury-prone bodies and can get injured quickly. There have been instances where injuries forced cricketers to even leave the game forever. Here are 5 such players whose careers were cut short by injuries:

<strong>Here are 5 such players whose careers were cut short by injuries:</strong>

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Nathan-Bracken.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-121218" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Nathan-Bracken.jpg" alt="Nathan Bracken of Australia" width="600" height="424" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-121218" class="wp-caption-text">Nathan Bracken of Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The pacer from Australia used to be a dependent bowler for Ricky Ponting in the ODI format and donned the duties of bowling at the death for so long. He had a pretty rhythmic action and could swing the new ball and his changes of pace made him an effective bowler during the slog overs.

His career was never shy of injuries and had his fair share of troubles. It was a severe injury to his knee that forced him to hang up his boots in the year 2011 and opt to get his knee operated. He featured in 5 Tests, 116 ODIs and 19 T20s and was also a part of the World Cup-winning squad of Australia in 2007.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/09/SABA-KARIM.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-86407" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/SABA-KARIM.jpg" alt="Saba Karim" width="600" height="450" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-86407" class="wp-caption-text">Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim. (Photo by David Munden/Popperfoto/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The wicket-keeper batsman from India did not have a long stint with the national team and played just 1 Test and 34 ODIs. He was forced to leave the game at the age of 32 even before his career could flourish.

In the year 2000, he was hit in the eye by a delivery from Anil Kumble while keeping up to the stumps against Bangladesh in Dhaka. He did undergo a surgery but that did not help him make a comeback to the game. These days, he is still associated with cricket and is a renowned Hindi commentator.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Andrew-Flintoff-CSK.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-120902" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Andrew-Flintoff-CSK.jpg" alt="Andrew Flintoff of CSK" width="600" height="433" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-120902" class="wp-caption-text">Andrew Flintoff. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The Englishmen still remains one of the finest all-rounders to have ever played the game. He was a lethal fast bowler known especially for reverse swing bowling and with the bat too, he could hit the ball as hard as anyone in the game. But he wasn&#8217;t all that lucky as far as injuries are concerned.

At the age of 32, he had to retire due to a long-standing knee injury in the year 2010. He played 79 Tests, 141 ODIs and 7 T20s for England and has tremendous records across all formats. Post cricket retirement, in 2012, he marked his debut in professional boxing too.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/09/8.-Mark-Boucher.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-30603" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/8.-Mark-Boucher.jpg" alt="Mark Boucher eye injury" width="460" height="305" sizes="(max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-30603" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: thenational.ae)</figcaption>

South African wicket-keeper batsman still remains the most successful keeper ever. He 467 dismissals behind the stumps, most by any in the game. Not only his keeping but his batting lower down the order proved to be useful for the Proteas for a long period of time. He represented his nation in 147 Tests, 295 ODIs and 25 T20Is.

In the year 2012, South Africa were playing a tour game against Somerset before the series against England. Imran Tahir bowled a Somerset batsman Gemaal Hussain and the left bail went on to hit Boucher in the eye. He had to undergo a surgery to his eyeball and was forced to take an early exit from the game which he otherwise had planned to do so after the series.

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/06/Craig-Kieswetter-Eye.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-20553" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Craig-Kieswetter-Eye.jpg" alt="Craig Kieswetter" width="608" height="399" sizes="(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20553" class="wp-caption-text">Craig Kieswetter. (Photo Source: Craig Kieswetter Twitter Handle)</figcaption>

He was born in South Africa and later shifted to England and played county cricket for Somerset. He went on to represent England in 46 ODIs and 25 T20s and was known for his explosive batting. He also played a key role in England&#8217;s triumph in the ICC World T20 in 2010 in the Caribbean.

At the age of mere 26, he met with an unfortunate injury to his right eye. In 2014, while batting for Somerset against Northamptonshire, he received a bouncer that sneaked through his helmet and hit his right part of the face. He suffered a broken nose and fractured cheek bone. He was having troubles later in sighting the ball and had to leave the game and a promising career was shattered prematurely.

<p>Cricket is a game that demands extreme fitness from the players and its importance has grown ever so much in modern day cricket. With players like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, there is so much stress on the acrobatics on the field. Gymming is also an important aspect of the present day player, they want to be ready for any kind of situation on the field.</p>
<p>But this hasn’t been the case with many players from the past. Some of them have injury-prone bodies and can get injured quickly. There have been instances where injuries forced cricketers to even leave the game forever. Here are 5 such players whose careers were cut short by injuries:</p>
<h4><strong>Here are 5 such players whose careers were cut short by injuries:</strong></h4>
<h4><strong>#5 Nathan Bracken</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_121218" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-121218" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Nathan-Bracken.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-121218" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Nathan-Bracken.jpg" alt="Nathan Bracken of Australia" width="600" height="424" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-121218" class="wp-caption-text">Nathan Bracken of Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The pacer from Australia used to be a dependent bowler for Ricky Ponting in the ODI format and donned the duties of bowling at the death for so long. He had a pretty rhythmic action and could swing the new ball and his changes of pace made him an effective bowler during the slog overs.</p>
<p>His career was never shy of injuries and had his fair share of troubles. It was a severe injury to his knee that forced him to hang up his boots in the year 2011 and opt to get his knee operated. He featured in 5 Tests, 116 ODIs and 19 T20s and was also a part of the World Cup-winning squad of Australia in 2007.</p>
<h4><strong>#4 Saba Karim</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_86407" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-86407" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/09/SABA-KARIM.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-86407" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/SABA-KARIM.jpg" alt="Saba Karim" width="600" height="450" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-86407" class="wp-caption-text">Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim. (Photo by David Munden/Popperfoto/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The wicket-keeper batsman from India did not have a long stint with the national team and played just 1 Test and 34 ODIs. He was forced to leave the game at the age of 32 even before his career could flourish.</p>
<p>In the year 2000, he was hit in the eye by a delivery from Anil Kumble while keeping up to the stumps against Bangladesh in Dhaka. He did undergo a surgery but that did not help him make a comeback to the game. These days, he is still associated with cricket and is a renowned Hindi commentator.</p>
<h4><strong>#3 Andrew Flintoff</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_120902" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-120902" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Andrew-Flintoff-CSK.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-120902" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Andrew-Flintoff-CSK.jpg" alt="Andrew Flintoff of CSK" width="600" height="433" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-120902" class="wp-caption-text">Andrew Flintoff. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Englishmen still remains one of the finest all-rounders to have ever played the game. He was a lethal fast bowler known especially for reverse swing bowling and with the bat too, he could hit the ball as hard as anyone in the game. But he wasn’t all that lucky as far as injuries are concerned.</p>
<p>At the age of 32, he had to retire due to a long-standing knee injury in the year 2010. He played 79 Tests, 141 ODIs and 7 T20s for England and has tremendous records across all formats. Post cricket retirement, in 2012, he marked his debut in professional boxing too.</p>
<h4><strong>#2 Mark Boucher</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_30603" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30603" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/09/8.-Mark-Boucher.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-30603" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/8.-Mark-Boucher.jpg" alt="Mark Boucher eye injury" width="460" height="305" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-30603" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: thenational.ae)</figcaption></figure>
<p>South African wicket-keeper batsman still remains the most successful keeper ever. He 467 dismissals behind the stumps, most by any in the game. Not only his keeping but his batting lower down the order proved to be useful for the Proteas for a long period of time. He represented his nation in 147 Tests, 295 ODIs and 25 T20Is.</p>
<p>In the year 2012, South Africa were playing a tour game against Somerset before the series against England. Imran Tahir bowled a Somerset batsman Gemaal Hussain and the left bail went on to hit Boucher in the eye. He had to undergo a surgery to his eyeball and was forced to take an early exit from the game which he otherwise had planned to do so after the series.</p>
<h4><strong>#1&nbsp;Craig Kieswetter</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_20553" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20553" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/06/Craig-Kieswetter-Eye.jpg"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-20553" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Craig-Kieswetter-Eye.jpg" alt="Craig Kieswetter" width="608" height="399" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20553" class="wp-caption-text">Craig Kieswetter. (Photo Source: Craig Kieswetter Twitter Handle)</figcaption></figure>
<p>He was born in South Africa and later shifted to England and played county cricket for Somerset. He went on to represent England in 46 ODIs and 25 T20s and was known for his explosive batting. He also played a key role in England’s triumph in the ICC World T20 in 2010 in the Caribbean.</p>
<p>At the age of mere 26, he met with an unfortunate injury to his right eye. In 2014, while batting for Somerset against Northamptonshire, he received a bouncer that sneaked through his helmet and hit his right part of the face.&nbsp;He suffered a broken nose and fractured cheek bone. He was having troubles later in sighting the ball and had to leave the game and a promising career was shattered prematurely.</p>

<p>Cricket is a game that demands extreme fitness from the players and its importance has grown ever so much in modern day cricket. With players like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, there is so much stress on the acrobatics on the field. Gymming is also an important aspect of the present day player, they want to be ready for any kind of situation on the field.</p>
<p>But this hasn&#8217;t been the case with many players from the past. Some of them have injury-prone bodies and can get injured quickly. There have been instances where injuries forced cricketers to even leave the game forever. Here are 5 such players whose careers were cut short by injuries:</p>
<h4><strong>Here are 5 such players whose careers were cut short by injuries:</strong></h4>
<h4><strong>#5 Nathan Bracken</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_121218" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-121218" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Nathan-Bracken.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-121218" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Nathan-Bracken.jpg" alt="Nathan Bracken of Australia" width="600" height="424" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-121218" class="wp-caption-text">Nathan Bracken of Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The pacer from Australia used to be a dependent bowler for Ricky Ponting in the ODI format and donned the duties of bowling at the death for so long. He had a pretty rhythmic action and could swing the new ball and his changes of pace made him an effective bowler during the slog overs.</p>
<p>His career was never shy of injuries and had his fair share of troubles. It was a severe injury to his knee that forced him to hang up his boots in the year 2011 and opt to get his knee operated. He featured in 5 Tests, 116 ODIs and 19 T20s and was also a part of the World Cup-winning squad of Australia in 2007.</p>
<h4><strong>#4 Saba Karim</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_86407" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-86407" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/09/SABA-KARIM.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-86407" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/SABA-KARIM.jpg" alt="Saba Karim" width="600" height="450" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-86407" class="wp-caption-text">Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim. (Photo by David Munden/Popperfoto/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The wicket-keeper batsman from India did not have a long stint with the national team and played just 1 Test and 34 ODIs. He was forced to leave the game at the age of 32 even before his career could flourish.</p>
<p>In the year 2000, he was hit in the eye by a delivery from Anil Kumble while keeping up to the stumps against Bangladesh in Dhaka. He did undergo a surgery but that did not help him make a comeback to the game. These days, he is still associated with cricket and is a renowned Hindi commentator.</p>
<h4><strong>#3 Andrew Flintoff</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_120902" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-120902" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2017/03/Andrew-Flintoff-CSK.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-120902" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Andrew-Flintoff-CSK.jpg" alt="Andrew Flintoff of CSK" width="600" height="433" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-120902" class="wp-caption-text">Andrew Flintoff. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Englishmen still remains one of the finest all-rounders to have ever played the game. He was a lethal fast bowler known especially for reverse swing bowling and with the bat too, he could hit the ball as hard as anyone in the game. But he wasn&#8217;t all that lucky as far as injuries are concerned.</p>
<p>At the age of 32, he had to retire due to a long-standing knee injury in the year 2010. He played 79 Tests, 141 ODIs and 7 T20s for England and has tremendous records across all formats. Post cricket retirement, in 2012, he marked his debut in professional boxing too.</p>
<h4><strong>#2 Mark Boucher</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_30603" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30603" style="width: 460px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/09/8.-Mark-Boucher.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-30603" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/8.-Mark-Boucher.jpg" alt="Mark Boucher eye injury" width="460" height="305" sizes="(max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-30603" class="wp-caption-text">(Photo Source: thenational.ae)</figcaption></figure>
<p>South African wicket-keeper batsman still remains the most successful keeper ever. He 467 dismissals behind the stumps, most by any in the game. Not only his keeping but his batting lower down the order proved to be useful for the Proteas for a long period of time. He represented his nation in 147 Tests, 295 ODIs and 25 T20Is.</p>
<p>In the year 2012, South Africa were playing a tour game against Somerset before the series against England. Imran Tahir bowled a Somerset batsman Gemaal Hussain and the left bail went on to hit Boucher in the eye. He had to undergo a surgery to his eyeball and was forced to take an early exit from the game which he otherwise had planned to do so after the series.</p>
<h4><strong>#1 Craig Kieswetter</strong></h4>
<figure id="attachment_20553" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-20553" style="width: 608px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/06/Craig-Kieswetter-Eye.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-20553" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Craig-Kieswetter-Eye.jpg" alt="Craig Kieswetter" width="608" height="399" sizes="(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-20553" class="wp-caption-text">Craig Kieswetter. (Photo Source: Craig Kieswetter Twitter Handle)</figcaption></figure>
<p>He was born in South Africa and later shifted to England and played county cricket for Somerset. He went on to represent England in 46 ODIs and 25 T20s and was known for his explosive batting. He also played a key role in England&#8217;s triumph in the ICC World T20 in 2010 in the Caribbean.</p>
<p>At the age of mere 26, he met with an unfortunate injury to his right eye. In 2014, while batting for Somerset against Northamptonshire, he received a bouncer that sneaked through his helmet and hit his right part of the face. He suffered a broken nose and fractured cheek bone. He was having troubles later in sighting the ball and had to leave the game and a promising career was shattered prematurely.</p>

Here are 5 players whose careers were cut short by injuries.

5 Cricketers who were forced to retire because of injuries

Cricket is a game that demands extreme fitness from the players and its importance has grown ever so much in modern day cricket. With players like Virat Ko