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.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 16, 2024-Ausgabe von Hindustan Times Mumbai.
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