There have been several players who have announced their retirement from cricket only to make a comeback. The phenomenon is not new, and there have been players during the 80s and 90s who couldn’t stay away from the game for a long time and made a comeback to perform at the highest stage.
Shahid Afridi is known for announcing his retirement multiple times and making a comeback. However, he is not the only Pakistani player to perform this move. The list contains some of the biggest names in the cricketing world. One Indian cricketer also makes it to the list. Brendan Taylor is the recent name added to this list.
Cricketers Who Made A Comeback After Retirement
Here’s the list of top cricketers who came back to international cricket after retirement:
1. Bob Simpson
Bob Simpson, the Australian all-rounder, made his Test debut in 1957 and played 62 matches for the team. He made 4869 runs at an average of 46.81 and took 71 wickets at an average of 42.26. He played two ODI games as well.
At 41, Simpson made a comeback to lead the side against India in 1977-78. Australia not just won the five-match series, but Simpson finished as the leading run-scorer in the series. He led the side against the West Indies in 1978, which proved to be his last Test match.
2. Imran Khan
Imran Khan is regarded as one of the best captains for Pakistan. Under his leadership, Pakistan won their first and only ODI World Cup trophy. However, the win came on Imran’s return to cricket after announcing his retirement.
The story started with Imran’s retirement after Pakistan lost the semi-final of the 1987 World Cup against Australia. Pakistan’s president, Zia-ul-Haq, asked Imran to represent Pakistan at the 1992 World Cup. He made a comeback and helped Pakistan win their first-ever ICC trophy.
3. Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad made his International cricket debut in 1975 and featured in over 350 matches across formats for the team. He made a total of 16213 runs at an average of 46.99 and is still the fourth-highest run-scorer for Pakistan across formats.
Miandad announced his retirement from cricket in 1994 after he was dropped from the squad. Pakistan’s Prime Minister at that time, Benazir Bhutto, asked him to reverse his decision, and he obliged. He had to wait for three years to make a comeback in 1996 and played five ODI matches that year.
4. Carl Hooper
Carl Hooper played 102 Test matches for the West Indies and made 5762 runs at an average of 36.46. He played 227 ODIs as well for the team and scored over 5700 runs. On April 26, 1999, Hooper announced his retirement from international cricket.
However, he made a comeback to the side in 2001 after the West Indies suffered a series of losses in the longest format of the game. Hooper led the West Indies in a home series against New Zealand, India, and South Africa, eventually retiring in 2003.
5. Jerome Taylor
Jerome Taylor made his Test debut for the West Indies in 2003 against Sri Lanka. He decided to call it a day in 2016 after featuring in 46 Test matches for the team and with 130 wickets to his name. Taylor came to this conclusion after deciding to focus on the other two formats.
However, he was dropped from the white-ball sides and was not picked for the next 14 months. He made himself available for selection in 2017 but didn’t find a chance to play for the team again.
6. Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen is regarded as one of the most successful English batters. He decided to retire from international limited-overs cricket in 2012 and shift his entire focus to Test matches.
The news came as a shock to fans as well as the management, as he made this announcement four months before the T20 World Cup that year. England was going into the tournament as the defending champions. Pietersen, however, took less than 60 days to reverse his decision and played eight more ODIs and a T20I for England.
7. Shahid Afridi
This list is incomplete without mentioning Shahid Afridi’s name. Afridi retired from international cricket on five occasions in 2006, 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2017. The 2017 announcement was the final, and he made a comeback on the previous four occasions.
Afridi was one of the most important figures for Pakistan during his prime. He won the Player of the Tournament award in the T20 World Cup 2007 and a Player of the Match award in the final of the next World Cup in 2009.
8. Mohammad Amir
Mohammad Amir’s career was full of controversy due to obvious reasons. After serving his five-year ban, Amir made his return to international cricket in a T20I match against New Zealand in 2016.
In December 2020, Amir announced his retirement from international cricket due to to conflict with management. Before the 2024 T20 World Cup, he made himself available for selection and was picked in the side once again. Amir announced his retirement once again after Pakistan’s disastrous campaign in the tournament.
9. Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali has played 68 Test matches, 138 ODI matches, and 92 T20I matches for England. He retired from Test cricket in 2021. However, he made a comeback to the side before the 2023 Ashes.
Moeen was picked in the side as Jack Leach was ruled out of the series. He took nine wickets in the series and breached the 200-wicket mark.
10. Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Bhanuka Rajapaksa has played five ODIs and 44 T20I matches for Sri Lanka. In 2022, Bhanuka decided to retire from international cricket, citing familial obligations. However, his decision was not approved by Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister, Namal Rajapaksa.
After a meeting between the two, Bhanuka decided to reverse his decision. He last played a T20I game for Sri Lanka in January this year.
11. Tamim Iqbal
Tamim Iqbal is one of the most prolific batters for Bangladesh and has played a total of 391 matches for the team. He has made 15249 runs at an average of 35.21 and made 25 centuries.
In July 2023, Tamim announced his retirement from cricket after Bangladesh lost an ODI game against Afghanistan. The decision came three months before the scheduled ODI World Cup. However, Tamim decided to reverse his decision following an intervention by the then-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
12. Imad Wasim
Imad Wasim has played 55 ODIs and 75 T20I matches for Pakistan. He decided to retire from international cricket in November 2023. However, much like Amir, Imad decided to make himself available for selection before the T20 World Cup last year.
He picked up three wickets in three games in the T20 World Cup at an average of 14.66. Imad decided to retire from international cricket again in December last year.
13. Javagal Srinath
Javagal Srinath played 67 Test matches and 229 ODI matches for India. He took 236 wickets in Test matches and 315 wickets in ODIs. In 2002, Srinath decided to retire from international cricket.
Sourav Ganguly convinced Srinath to come out of retirement, and Srinath made a comeback. He led India’s bowling attack at the 2003 World Cup and played three more Test matches.
14. Brendan Taylor
Brendan Taylor became the latest name on this list. He announced his retirement from international cricket in 2021. ICC banned him for three-and-a-half years in 2022 after failing to report an approach from alleged corruptors without delay and testing positive for cocaine.
Taylor was eligible to play for Zimbabwe once again on July 25 this year. He was picked to play in the second Test against New Zealand in August. Taylor has made this comeback with an eye on the upcoming ODI World Cup, which Zimbabwe and South Africa will co-host.
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