Hyderabad: When an athlete usually takes retirement from the sport he stops competing in the discipline professionally. But, Cricket has witnessed multiple occasions when a cricketer announced his retirement but took a U-turn and returned to the fold. There have been multiple players who have came back from retirement and the most notable name in the list includes Pakistan’s swashbuckling batter Shahid Afridi who was known for his big hits during his playing days.
Following is the list of cricketers who made a comeback after retirement
Javed Miandad (Pakistan): After being dropped from the national side in 1994, Pakistan’s wizard bid farewell to international cricket. The fans in the country wanted Miandad back in the side and the country’s Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto persuaded him to return to international cricket. The cricketer then returned to the national side in 1996.
Kevin Pietersen (England): Pietersen, who was known for his aggressive batting style announced his retirement from limited-overs with four months to go for the 2012 World T20. However, less than 60 days later he said that he would never say no to a comeback. The right-handed batter then played eight more ODIs and one more T20Is.
Imran Khan (Pakistan): The legendary skipper who led the national team to a World Cup triumph had decided to step away from the game after they lost against Australia in the 1987 World Cup semifinal. Later, he was asked to represent Pakistan by President Zia-ul-Haq and he obliged. His comeback was in a stunning manner as the all-rounder led his team to a World Cup win in 1992.