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Neil Wagner bid an emotional adieu to cricket on February 27 when he announced in a press conference in Wellington that he would be retiring from the sport.
The 37-year-old New Zealand fast bowler came to the decision after he was informed by the selectors that he won’t be a part of the playing XI in the first Test against Australia.
However, the ICC World Test Championship 2023 winners absolutely hammered the Kiwis in their own den in the first Test, beating them by 172 runs at the Basin Reserve.
22-year-old pacer William O’Rourke injured his hamstring on Saturday, March 2, which was the third day of the Test. After bowling five deliveries of his eighth over, O’Rourke left the field with tightness in his left hamstring.
The medical team will be assessing O’Rourke’s injury, with a report expected to come out on Monday.
If O’Rourke doesn’t get clearance to play in the second Test, then Wagner could be in line for one last dance at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Skipper Tim Southee kept the doors open for Wagner’s inclusion.
With Wagner likely to make a retirement U-turn, The Sporting News takes a look at 10 cricketers who came back after quitting international cricket.
Tamim Iqbal
In July 2023, a day after Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh in an ODI, Tamim Iqbal appeared in front of the media and announced a shock retirement decision, just three months before the ODI World Cup. However, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina intervened, prompting Iqbal to reverse his decision. Iqbal played his final game for Bangladesh on September 23, 2023, in an ODI against New Zealand. Later, he made himself unavailable for selection and is yet to play a game for the Bangla Tigers.
Ben Stokes
In 2022, Ben Stokes decided to quit the ODI format citing workload as one of the reasons behind his decision. Matthew Mott, the head coach of England in the white-ball formats, convinced Stokes to return for the World Cup in 2023. And he did, indeed.
Moeen Ali
The English batting all-rounder had retired from Tests in 2021, but was asked to feature for England in the Ashes 2023 as an emergency player following Jack Leach’s injury, which ruled him out of the series.
Kevin Pietersen
Just four months before the 2012 T20 World Cup, Kevin Pietersen had announced his decision to quit England’s white-ball teams to focus on prolonging his Test career. However, less than two months after his announcement, he opened the doors for a return to the ODI and T20I teams. He played eight ODIs and a solitary T20I before being dropped completely.
Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi, one of the most lethal all-rounders in the history of the game, announced as many as five retirements – 2006, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017. He reversed his decision thrice, in 2006, 2011, and 2016. In 2006, he retired from Tests to focus on white-ball cricket, only to denounce his decision to weeks later. In 2011, following the World Cup, he announced his retirement from ODIs after he was stripped off his captaincy, only to reverse his decision shortly after. He finally quit from all formats in 2017 and never donned national colours ever again.
Imran Khan
The legendary Pakistan all-rounder retired from cricket after the 1987 World Cup. The-then President of Pakistan, Zia-ul-Haq, convinced Imran Khan to continue playing cricket. Five years later, in 1992, Khan led Pakistan to their first-ever World Cup title to finish his career on a high.
Javed Miandad
After Javed Miandad was dropped from the side in 1994, the Pakistani batsman decided to hang up his boots, only for Benazir Bhutto, the-then Prime Minister of Pakistan, to convince him to continue playing. He made his return to the team in 1996.
Javagal Srinath
In 2002, following India’s tour of the West Indies, Javagal Srinath announced an unexpected retirement from international cricket. Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain at the time, repeatedly requested Srinath to reconsider his decision, which he did. Srinath finished with 16 wickets at the 2003 World Cup, where India lost to Australia in the final. Following the tournament, the Karnataka pacer called it a day.
Dwayne Bravo
In 2015, DJ Bravo retired from Tests to focus on white-ball cricket. In 2018, Bravo decided to quit international cricket, only to return in contention for West Indies a year later in order to prepare for the 2020 T20 World Cup. COVID-19 delayed the World Cup to 2021, and Bravo represented the Windies.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Early in 2022, Bhanuka Rajapaksa announced his retirement from international cricket, citing “familial obligations” as the reason. Namal Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s minister of sports, disapproved of his choice. After the two met and conferred with the national selectors, Rajapaksa conveyed his desire to play for his country and withdrew his retirement.
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