5 International cricket stars who faded away from limelight

In international cricket, many stories of success and diligence have emerged in front of passionate fans. Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Sanath Jayasuriya, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Shane Warne and many other players debuted for their respective national teams at a young age and became huge figures in international cricket due to their outstanding performances.

After gaining fame, these players became more responsible to break into the list of cricketing greats. Like these players, there have been several names who became notable names in the initial phase of their careers but got pushed into anonymity due to their infamous acts or a steep decline in their performances. 

Here are five international players who disappeared from the cricketing limelight after beginning their careers in an exceptional manner

5. Vinod Kambli

During the 1990s, Vinod Kambli was one of the names who was expected to do big for India in the international circuit. After making his Test debut in 1993, he notched up four centuries in his first seven games. Kambli, who grew up playing cricket with Sachin Tendulkar, put up an outstanding show with his bat.

At the age of 24, Kambli got dropped from the Test team due to disciplinary issues. In his three-year Test career, he scored 1084 runs with four centuries and three fifties in 21 innings of 17 Tests. He played his last One-Day International (ODI) game in 2000 against Sri Lanka at Sharjah. In 2011, Kambli announced his retirement from first-class cricket after serving Mumbai for 22 years.

In 2011, Kambli got embroiled in controversy while speaking to a TV channel. Accusing his former colleagues of match-fixing, he said India lost the 1996 World Cup semi-final due to some of his teammates' involvement in fixing the game.