Hyderabad: India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin hung up his boots, announcing his retirement from all formats of cricket on Wednesday, 18 December 2024. Ashwin's shocking decision came after India drew the rain-affected 3rd Test match at the iconic The Gabba in Brisbane against Australia. While the decision saw massive reactions from the cricketing world, many criticised the timing of the decision.
Several top cricketers have retired from the game in 2024. Notable greats of cricket like James Anderson, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik and Tim Southee have made the difficult decision to end their careers.
So, let's just make the best possible playing XI of the players who have taken retirements from at least one format of the game.
Playing XI Of Players Who Retired From At Least One Format In 2024
1. David Warner
Australia's swashbuckling batter David Warner was the first big retirement of the year. The opener drew curtains on his illustrious career after playing his final Test match in Sydney against Pakistan. The last day of an international game came in the T20 World Cup against India. Warner (18,995) retired as the second-highest run-scorer for Australia across formats after former skipper Ricky Ponting (27,368). He scored 6,932 in ODIs, 3,277 in T20I, the most for Australia, and 8,786 in Tests, the fifth highest for Australia.
2. Rohit Sharma
India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma retired from T20I cricket after India won the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA earlier this year. Rohit ended his T20I career with two World Cups, having won under MS Dhoni's captaincy in 2007 and as a captain in 2024. Rohit played 159 T20Is in a career that spanned 17 years, hitting 4231 runs, the most by any batter in the world, including five hundreds and 32 fifties.
3. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli announced his retirement from T20I after India beat South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Barbados on June 29. Kohli ended his 125-match T20I career as India's second-highest run-scorer (behind Rohit) in the format - 4188 at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04. He had endured a difficult T20 World Cup up until the semi-final - scoring only 75 runs in seven innings before he made 76 off 59 balls in the final.
4. Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik officially announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on June 1. Karthik last played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2024 Eliminator, and last represented India in the 2022 T20 World Cup group game against Bangladesh. Karthik played 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 60 T20Is for India in a career spanning nearly two decades. A career that remained largely overshadowed by MS Dhoni, Karthik's chances were few and far between though.
5. Heinrich Klassen
Heinrich Klaasen has announced his retirement from Test cricket on January 8, 2024. Klaasen played four Tests between 2019 and 2023, the most recent against West Indies last summer. The 'keeper-batter scored 104 runs at an average of 13 from his four games. His highest score was 35 against Australia in Sydney. However, he is still playing for South Africa in T20Is and ODIs.
6. Shakib Al Hasan
Bangladesh skipper and all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan announced his retirement from the shortest format of cricket. Shakib’s 17-year career spans 447 matches and 712 international wickets, most for Bangladesh across formats. Shakib is the leading wicket-taker for Bangladesh in international wickets. Not just that, he is the leading wicket-taker for Bangladesh in ODIs (317 wickets in 247 matches), in T20Is (149 wickets in 129 matches) and Tests (246 wickets in 71 Tests).
7. Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja, who was the leading wicket-taker and Player of the Match 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, became the third senior cricketer to retire from T20 internationals at the end of India's triumphant run at the T20 World Cup 2024. Overall, Jadeja has 54 wickets in 74 matches in the format at an economy of 7.13 and 515 runs at a strike rate of 127.16. Jadeja will continue to be available for Tests and ODIs.
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin retired from all forms of international cricket after the Gabba Test against Australia. Ashwin most recently featured during the second Test against Australia in Adelaide and finished his career with a total of 765 international wickets from 287 matches. He also has a plethora of records to his name that includes joint second-most fifers in Tests, second-most wickets for India in Tests, most wickets with new ball, and many more. Ashwin represented India in 106 Test matches, claiming an impressive 537 wickets. Australia was his most successful opponent, with 115 wickets at an average of 28.58 in 23 Tests. In the 50-over format, Ashwin played 116 matches for India, taking 156 wickets at an average of 33.21 and played 65 games and recorded a total of 72 wickets at an average of 23.22.
9. Tim Southee
Tim Southee retired with the conclusion of a three-match Test series against England at home in December 2024.Southee has featured in 104 Tests, 161 ODIs and 125 T20Is taking 770 wickets across the formats. He signed off as the second-highest wicket-taker (391) for the Kiwis after legendary Richard Hadlee (431). Southee ended his Test career with 98 sixes, the joint-fourth highest in the history of the format and the most for any player while batting at No. 8 or lower.
10. James Anderson
England had been planning James Anderson's farewell for months. The fast bowler was given his final Test match at the Lord's against the West Indies. Anderson's family members rang the bell before the match as the fast bowler entered the ground for the final time. Anderson retired from all forms of international cricket on July 12, 2024, having taken 704 Test wickets. Anderson ended his Test career after bowling 40,025 balls, 704 wickets, 188 Tests, and 32 five-wicket hauls in his over two-decade-long career. He signed off with the most wickets for an English bowler, most wickets as a pacer, overall third-highest wickets, and second-most five-wicket hauls as a pacer in the longest format of the game.
11. Neil Wagner
Neil Wagner has announced his retirement from international cricket in February after the New Zealand selectors told him he would not be picked for the two-Test series against Australia. He retired after 64 Tests for his adopted country having moved across from South Africa. He took 260 wickets at 27.57 with a strike rate of just 52.7. Only Sir Richard Hadlee has a better Test strike rate among New Zealand bowlers to have taken more than 100 wickets.
