Unretired XI: Moeen Ali and Shahid Afridi all-rounders

Cricket has always been a game that frequently sees players reverse their retirement decisions. Two players have already returned from retirement in 2023. The first player to play in the Ashes after Jack Leach was ruled out was Moeen Ali, who had previously announced his retirement from the Test format. Following a conversation with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Tamim Iqbal has now changed his mind about retiring. Here is a look at a starting XI that includes players that decided to come out of retirement.

Bob Simpson

Australia’s reserves were exhausted prior to the 1977 India series due to Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket, and veteran of sixty-two Test matches Bob Simpson had been away from international cricket for 10 years. Simpson dragged himself out of retirement at the age of 41 and went on to score 539 runs in 10 games.

Tamim Iqbal

One day after Bangladesh’s loss to Afghanistan and three months before the ODI World Cup in India in 2023, Tamim Iqbal held a sombre press conference to announce his retirement and bring an end to his illustrious career. However, Tamim changed his mind after speaking with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Javed Miandad

Javed Miandad, Pakistan’s star batsman who was benched from the team in 1994, decided to give up cricket. The maestro was convinced to change his mind by Benazir Bhutto, who was the country’s prime minister at the time. Miandad reversed his decision but represented Pakistan once again in 1996.

Carl Hooper

Carl Hooper, one of the most gifted players of his generation, startled everyone by announcing his Test retirement at the age of 32. After the team’s dry spell in 2001, the prodigal son returned to lead West Indies in a home series against New Zealand, India, and South Africa before ultimately retiring two years later.

Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen was one of the franchises’ early favourites in franchise leagues in every nation. Four months before the 2012 World T20, he decided to end his international limited-overs career, shocking England cricket. However, he vowed that he would never decline a comeback that was fewer than 60 days away. He did come back to play in a T20I game and eight more ODIs for England.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Bhanuka Rajapaksa formally said that he would be leaving the international competition in 2022 early due to family duties. Sri Lanka’s minister of sports, Namal Rajapaksa, voiced disappointment with his “hurried” decision. Following their meeting and conversation with the national selectors, Rajapaksa expressed his wish to keep representing his country in the sport he loved.

Imran Khan

Imran Khan, one of Pakistan’s most famous players, decided to hang up his boots after his country’s defeat to Australia in the 1987 World Cup quarterfinal. Imran had a change of heart after President Zia-ul-Haq persuaded him to represent Pakistan once more. Imran Khan earned Pakistan World Cup glory during his second term in office, proving that his choice worked out well for both him and his nation. Imran retired five years later after leading his team to a World Cup victory.

Shahid Afridi

The electric all-rounder Shahid Afridi is the third cricketer from Pakistan to appear on this list. The only cricketer to have retired four times, with three of those occasions seeing a comeback was Afridi. 2006, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2017 saw retirements, whereas 2006, 2011 and 2016 saw comebacks. Afridi could accomplish almost anything on the cricket pitch, and a position always appeared to be available for him. However, he was one of the most important cricketers of the modern era hidden beneath the rapid pace of his retirement.

Moeen Ali

When Jack Leach was unable to play in the 2023 Ashes, Moeen—who had retired from Test cricket in 2021—found himself in a situation where he was asked to come out of retirement by Test captain, Ben Stokes and Test coach, Brendon McCullum. He returned to Test cricket two years after quitting and in the most recent Ashes third test, which just ended, he picked up his 200th wicket in the format.

Javagal Srinath

When Javagal Srinath decided that he had played his last Test in 2002, he left the Caribbean. Sourav Ganguly, though, was unimpressed. After being talked out of retiring by Ganguly, the pacer went on to play three more Tests and lead the bowling attack. He also travelled with the Indian team to the 2003 World Cup, where India ended as the runner-up.

Jerome Taylor

Jerome Taylor’s 46-Test career came to an end when he decided to forego his Test ambitions in favour of focusing on the shorter formats. Things, however, took an unexpected turn when he was not chosen for any white-ball games over the ensuing 14 months. He instantly changed his mind and decided to resume participating in Test matches, but since then, he hasn’t been selected.

Also Read: World Cup 2023: How Does The Schedule Benefit India?

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