Five retired players whom fans would want to make a comeback

The beautiful game of cricket is a major source of entertainment for a dozen of countries. Since the commencement of the T20 format, the game has become a lot more exciting. The cricketers are not less than heroes for their fans. The fans especially in India are crazy about cricket, they even worship their cricket heroes.

The game of cricket has evolved a lot and is changing day by day. Many legendary cricketers came, saw, conquered, and then left silently. Some of the former cricketers left their fans heartbroken when they announced their retirement from the game. The fans as well as the experts believed that a few of them could have played a little more.

Retirement is a common thing in the life of professionals. As it is said that change is the only constant, everything eventually ends at some point in time. Perhaps, the ends sometimes are heartbreaking. Some recently retired cricketers are missed too much by their fans and they really want them to come back onto the cricket field.

Here’s a look at five such cricketers whom fans would want to make a comeback to international cricket:

1. AB de Villiers

A Superhero from Pretoria re-defined cricket with his extraordinary batting skills. It took people time to believe that he is a human too. AB de Villiers is a favourite of almost everyone and there was nothing on the cricket field that AB could not do. He was a genius and a one-in-a-century-born cricketer. His batting was a treat to watch.

Abraham Benjamin de Villers marked his arrival to international cricket for South Africa in 2004 when he received his maiden Test cap against England. Later he became South Africa’s most valuable player in all three formats of the game. AB started his career as a wicket-keeper but later he shifted to an outfielder.

Famously known as MR.360, AB played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is for South Africa scoring 8765, 9577, and 1672 runs respectively. He was a legend in the Indian Premier League too, he served Royal Challengers Bangalore for a long time. He played his last international game in 2018 and also bid adieu to international cricket in the same year.

2. Dale Steyn

“Steyn Gun”, the name was enough to scare the batters. He was lethal with the ball in hand. Many of the batters of his generation have admitted that he was the toughest bowler to face. He had the ability to swing the ball at 95 miles/hr. He has bowled some extraordinary spells for his country. He was a key player for South Africa for more than a decade.

Dale Steyn used to come up with a charged sprint and bowl with a classical right arm action. He was considered one of the most complete bowlers in the history of the game. He used to clock the 150 km/hr mark for fun. He was the most dangerous with the red ball. He used to hit the deck hard and intimidate the batters with his aggression.

The pride of South Africa played 93 Tests,125 ODIs, and 47 T20Is between 2004 to 2020. He claimed 439 wickets in Tests, 196 wickets in ODIs, and 64 wickets in T20Is. His bowling average was around 20 across three formats. He played his last game for South Africa in 2020 in a T20I against Australia. He is a role model for so many budding fast bowlers.

3. Lasith Malinga

Having curly hairs and slingy action, Lasith Malinga used to be a challenge for the batters in white ball cricket. He is one of the greatest ever to play the shortest format of the game. He would consistently hit yorkers and deceive the batters with his variation in pace. He even captained Sri Lanka in T20Is. Sri Lanka won the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup under him.

The Galle express made his international debut for Sri Lanka in a Test match against Australia in July 2004. He was a regular feature for Sri Lanka until his retirement. Malinga was a master of bowling toe-crushing yorkers. Yorkers at that pace were the toughest to play. He was most effective during the death overs.

Malinga was a match-winner for Sri Lanka, he played 30 Tests, 226 ODIs, and 84 T20Is for them. He picked 101 wickets in Tests, 338 wickets in ODIs, and 107 wickets in T20Is. He is one of the few bowlers to pick 100 wickets in all three formats. He was a key player for the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians too. He played his last game for Sri Lanka in 2020.

4. Suresh Raina

An elegant left-hand batter, a handy off-spinner, and one of the best fielders cricket has ever seen. Suresh Raina was a complete package. Raina was a solid player who made a name for himself in world cricket through his incredible performances on the field. Raina was involved in some great wins for Team India.

The southpaw was one of India’s finest T20 batters. He had all the gears that a T20 batter should have. He could start slogging from the first ball and even could play the role of an anchor. He played some important knocks for India. The cameos he played in the 2011 Cricket World Cup, one against Australia in the quarterfinal and one against Pakistan in the semifinal were priceless.

Suresh Raina was given the tag of Mr IPL as he was the leading run-scorer in IPL for a long time. He scored 5528 runs in 205 IPL games. For India, he played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs, and 78 T20Is. Raina played his last game for India in 2018. He has not yet retired from IPL and can make a comeback in the 2023 IPL season.

5. MS Dhoni

Probably the most heartbreaking retirement in the last 4-5 years was when MS Dhoni decided to quit playing for India in 2019. MS Dhoni is India’s greatest captain, wicket-keeper, and finisher ever. There used to be faith in the minds of cricket fans until MS Dhoni was on the crease. He was born to play cricket and win games for India.

The Indian Cricket Team won the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy under his captaincy. Till date, he is the only captain to win all the 3 ICC trophies. He had the greatest cricketing brain and World Cricket might not see another captain like him.

Mahi is an adopted son of Chennai. They lovingly call him Thala as he led the Chennai Super Kings for 15 years and he still is the captain of the franchise. Dhoni played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs, and 98 T20Is for India between 2004 to 2019. The 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand was his last game for the men in blue.