Imagine you are working in a field you love the most, and one day you have to leave it for some reason. Drawing curtains on your career might leave you crushing.
Many cricketers felt the same when they had to call time on their careers abruptly. These cricketers displayed their talent, but things went south, ending their career on a sad note.
Here, we’ll look at the cricketers who had sad endings to their careers.
6. Nathan Bracken (Australia)
Nathan Bracken was a tall left-arm pacer who could swing the ball both ways. He was part of the Australian squad between 2001 and 2009.
The team management was looking at him as a red-ball specialist, but he found more success with the white ball. Bracken took 174 wickets in 116 ODIs and featured in five Tests and 19 T20Is, with not much significant returns.
Bracken was the No. 1 ODI bowler in 2008 and was looking to solidify his stature. But when he was at his peak, he suffered a severe knee injury that kept him away from action.
Despite operating on the knee, Bracken couldn’t find his old rhythm and announced his retirement in 2011.
5. James Taylor (England)
Fellow cricketers from his team thought a guy with 5 feet 6 inches of height wouldn’t be able to face fierce bowling attacks. But James Taylor didn’t let his small height get in his way to make a mark in international cricket.
The right-hand batter let his bat do the talking in domestic cricket and made a case for a place in the England squad. Taylor made his debut for England in 2011, but he didn’t get a long rope.
After impressive performances in the One-Day Cup in 2013 and 2014, Taylor first returned to the ODI setup in late 2014, followed by the Test re-call in late 2015. And as he was looking to cement his position with his consistent performances, the unfortunate tragedy struck.
In April 2016, Taylor was diagnosed with a heart condition known as ‘Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy’, which cut short his career with immediate effect.
4. Mark Boucher (South Africa)
One of the finest wicketkeepers ever to step on the cricket field, Mark Boucher had a rather painful ending after a remarkable career. He represented his birth country South Africa in international cricket and had the safest hands behind the stumps.
Boucher still holds the record for the most wicketkeeping dismissals across formats, with 998 to his name. He would have had more than 1000 dismissals, but a tragic accident on the field left him two short.
South Africa were playing a warmup match against Somerset in July 2012 ahead of their England tour. In the 46th over of Somerset’s innings, a googly bowled by Imran Tahir dislodged the bail from the stumps, which hit Boucher in the left eye.
The keeper immediately left the field with a bleeding eye and underwent surgery. It was a severe injury that damaged Boucher’s eyeball, limiting his vision.
3. Craig Kieswetter (England)
Another South African-born wicketkeeper on this list, though he represented England in the international circuit. Craig Kieswetter was an aggressive keeper-batter for England in limited-overs cricket.
Kieswetter started as an under-19 cricketer for South Africa but went on to play for England in senior cricket. He starred with crucial performances, especially in the 2010 T20 World Cup, where his 63 in the final powered England to their first T20 World Cup title.
But Kieswetter’s performances started to dwindle in 2013, resulting in England dropping him from the squad. If that wasn’t enough, the keeper-batter suffered a nasty blow while batting in the County Championship 2014.
A bouncer from David Willey went through Kieswetter’s helmet grill and visor, breaking his nose and fracturing the cheek bone. He underwent surgery and was looking to make a comeback in 2015. However, the injury derailed his career, prompting him to retire.
2. Henry Olonga (Zimbabwe)
Cricket enthusiasts from the late 90s and early 2000s must have seen Henry Olonga bowl at full tilt for Zimbabwe. He was the first-ever black cricketer to feature for Zimbabwe on the global stage.
Olonga was a mainstay of the Zimbabwe squad from 1998 onwards and went on to be a part of the 2003 World Cup team. But the 2003 World Cup brought curtains on his career.
During the event, Olonga, along with Andy Flower, protested against Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe for crushing the democracy in the country. He wore a black armband to show his dissent, but that attracted an arrest warrant from Zimbabwe’s government, which prompted him to leave his country and cricket.
1. Will Pucovski (Australia)
Will Pucovski is among the latest cricketers to have his cricket career end in an unfortunate way. Once touted as a batting prodigy and an upcoming Australian star, the stars didn’t align well for him.
Pucovski set the stage on fire with his performances in Australia’s first-class domestic cricket. That kept him on the fringes of the Australian team call-up.
But at the same time, he was going through mental health problems along with sustaining concussions on the field several times. He somehow kept it aside and made his Test debut against India in 2021, scoring 62 in his first innings.
But that match turned out to be Pucovski’s only international appearance, as he suffered a shoulder injury during the match, ruling him out of the remainder of the series.
Pucovski recovered from it, but his road back to cricket wasn’t easy as he kept sustaining concussions one after another. This prompted authorities to step in, and a medical panel suggested he give up playing cricket at the professional level in August 2024.
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