But sometimes players have all the time in the world to make the toughest decision in cricket – to decide when to call time on one's career and retire. To unstrap pads, dump bat in the kitbag, mark the run-up one final time.
It's never easy to retire and slip into an uncertain afterlife.
Recently, Jimmy Anderson and David Warner retired in somewhat similar circumstances. Anderson's farewell was on a gorgeous sunlit morning at Lord's. The Test ended before lunch on Day 3 but an almost full house waited respectfully till mid-afternoon to celebrate the extraordinary career (188 Tests, 704 wickets) of England's greatest.
Warner's last dance was at Sydney, his home ground, ending a spectacular 15-year-old career that brought him 20,000 international runs and 48 hundreds.
Both Anderson and Warner were allowed a grand departure, their final Test appearance announced in advance to give them a dignified exit in front of adoring fans. Yet the emotional moment was not without a touch of sadness – both were told, politely but firmly, that it was time to go.
Thereafter life is a mixed bag. Warner sits in the commentary booth passing judgment on colleagues he shared a dressing room with till yesterday. Anderson has had a more troubled transition – after a brief stint with England's fast bowling group he surprisingly signed up for IPL auction and, unsurprisingly, went unsold.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 16, 2024 من Hindustan Times Mumbai.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 16, 2024 من Hindustan Times Mumbai.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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