Also referred to as the “Gentleman’s Game,” cricket has been around for many decades. The majority of the sport’s fan base follows every major domestic and international cricket tournament. Moreover, there are millions of fans who love indulging in more immersive cricket-related activities, including indulging in fantasy cricket games.
In this form of fantasy sports, players follow effective fantasy cricket tips to create teams of real-life players virtually and predict the outcomes of real-life games. Besides this, ardent cricket fans also purchase their favorite team’s official merch to show support, go to stadiums to watch matches, etc.
Over the years, cricket has seen numerous world-class players who amassed a massive fan-following thanks to their on-field skills and personality. Sadly, some of their careers were shortened suddenly. This article will highlight such professional players whose careers were shortened suddenly. Let us begin:
- Ryan Harris
Ryan Harris was one of the Australian cricket team’s greatest assets. As opposed to other players who make their debuts at younger ages, Harris joined the sport professionally at the age of 30 years.
Harris performed exceptionally across all formats of crickets and was highly feared by even the most dangerous batsmen. One of his career’s most exemplary feats was clinching 46 wickets in just 9 Ashes test matches. However, a critical knee injury got him benched for six months.
He returned after recovering and delivered stellar performances and once again retained his place in the squad for the upcoming 2015 Ashes test series. Sadly, he became the victim of another knee injury shortly after recovering from the first one. This incident forced the player to retire from cricket a few days before the Ashes test series.
- Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher was a remarkable South African wicketkeeper-batsman who is still deemed one of the greatest cricket players of all time. The versatile player was a part of 295 ODIs and 147 test matches for the South African team.
Everything in Boucher’s career was going great, right from his form to the opportunities coming his way, but life had other plans for him. In a match, Boucher was wicketkeeping, and Imran Tahir, South Africa’s top-tier spinner, was bowling. A delivery from Tahir hit one of the wickets, due to which a bail flew up and hit the left eye of Boucher.
This sudden accident cast a dark shadow over Boucher’s bright career. The injury he sustained was grave, due to which Boucher was forced to retire from all formats of cricket.
- James Taylor
James Taylor was one of England’s top-performing young cricketers. He represented his country in the U-19 World Cup, and thanks to his top-tier performance, he became a part of England’s international team at the tender age of 19. His batting technique paired with an endless hunger to put up more runs on the board made him a force to reckon with on the field.
Even though the right-handed batter faced selection issues for a while, numerous chances started after England’s 2013-2014 Ashes fiasco. Taylor became a part of England’s national squad and helped the team out on numerous occasions, especially in a test series against the Proteas in 2015-16.
He was at the peak of his career when a tragedy struck. He was diagnosed with a rare heart disease called ARVC. This diagnosis forced him to retire from all forms of cricket at 26. Had the tragedy not happened, he would surely have been a top-class middle-order batsman for England today.
- Craig Kieswetter
When he was just 20 years old, Craig Kieswetter, an aspiring wicketkeeper-batsman, moved from South Africa to England to pursue his dream of becoming a professional cricketer. He started as part of Somerset’s domestic team, and thanks to his performance, he got selected for England’s national cricket team.
The team roped him in for the 2010 T20 World Cup. In the prestigious event, he scored 221 runs, with a 63-run score in the finals. Shortly after this, his dream run for England slowed down, and he became a backup option for the team. However, he still was an integral part of Somerset.
In a game against Northamptonshire, he met with an accident. A bouncer went in through his helmet’s grille and fractured both his nose as well as cheekbone. He underwent facial surgery, but sadly it affected his vision, and thus, he could not continue with the game. At 27, he announced his retirement, and the world of cricket bid goodbye to another promising talent.
- Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen is one of the most valued cricket players of all time. Time and time again, he proved his capabilities as a batsman across all formats of cricket. Born in South Africa, Kevin Pietersen became an integral part of England’s national team.
However, he was always surrounded by controversies and publicized fallouts with fellow teammates. After England’s poor performance in the 2013-14 Ashes test series, Pieterson was thrown under the bus by the England team’s management and let go from the squad even though he was the highest scorer for the side in the series.
After this incident, he never played for England again and shortly announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
Each of the players mentioned above had a bright career ahead of them. Sadly, the future had different plans in store for them. However, the fans will always remain grateful that they got to witness such amazing players on the field, even though it was for a short while.