Cricketers who retired in 2023: The year 2023 was no less than a roller coaster ride for Cricket fans & teams as well. The biggies of World Cricket have achieved some remarkable milestones while some faced heartbreaks as their dreams of conquering World Champions remained just a dream. Australia reclaimed the title of World Champions by winning the ODI World Cup 2023 for the sixth time. On the other hand, Men in Blue witnessed their dream of winning an ICC event after a decade shattered in front of their eyes when they failed to show their ‘A game’ in the finals of the ODI World Cup 2023. Fans were in tears while players too couldn’t control their emotions on-field.
But as it’s said that the ‘Game must go On’ they stood up gathered all the strength & started all over again their quench for an ICC Title with ICC T20 World Cup 2024 standing next door. In all the drama certain cricketers decided to hang up their boots & call time on their illustrious cricketing career. They thought that it was the best time to bid adieu to International Cricket & start the second innings of their life. So today we are here to give you an insight into the cricketers who took voluntary retirement in the year 2023.
Cricketers who retired in 2023
1) England’s Ace Pacer Stuart Broad
When the Cricketers who retired in 2023 are talked about the first name that comes to our mind is none other than England’s stellar pacer, Stuart Broad. The pacer who is a part of the 600 Test wickets club has decided to say goodbye to International cricket after the Ashes 2023. He was just 37 when he retired from International cricket. He ended his career with 604 wickets in 167 Tests, 178 wickets in 121 ODIs & 65 wickets in 56 T20Is. He has ended his professional career on a high note & will be regarded as one of the best pacers in England’s history.
2) Quinton De Kock
The star of the South African Cricket team who took their team to new heights of success has retired from the ODI format after the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023. However, the star player will continue to turn heads around in the T20I format. He made the shocking decision to retire from ODIs at the age of just 30 years. Notably, he announced his retirement from Test format back on 30 December 2021. But his decision to retire from ODIs shocked one & all as he decided to step down when he was at the peak of his career. De Kock ended the ODI World Cup 2023 as the highest run-scorer with 594 runs in his kitty. Quinton De Kock’s career is a testament to his hard work & dedication.
Whether it’s ODI or T20i format, De Kock has made a point to leave his footprints in every format of the game. Quinton De Kock ended his Test career with 3300 runs in 54 Tests. Further, he ended his ODI career on a high note with 6770 runs in 155 matches. In T20I format too De Kock made his presence felt by amassing 2277 runs in 80 matches. Notably, De Kock has been an integral part of IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants top order & so far he has scored 2907 runs in 96 matches.
3) Sunil Narine
West Indies star all-rounder Sunila Narine announced his retirement from International Cricket in 2023. He played 6 Tests, 65 ODIs & 51 T20Is amassing 363 runs in 65 ODIs, 155 runs in 51 T20Is & 1046 runs in 162 IPL fixtures. It was in a limited overs format that Narine emerged with flying colors. However, his journey is not completely over as he will continue to play in the franchise leagues including IPL where he played a crucial role in KKR winning the league in 2012 & 2014. Narine has played a crucial role in helping West Indies win the T20 World Cup title in 2012, their first world title since the 1979 World Cup. Sunil Narine is one of the cricketers who left the cricket fans in shock when he announced his retirement from International Cricket.
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Meg Lanning
Women’s Cricket too saw some mega stars exiting the International arena. Aussie Women’s team Captain, Meg Lanning hung her boots from International Cricket in 2023. Lanning has been regarded as one of the most successful captains in Women’s Cricket, thanks to her immense resilience & dedication to the team. It was during Lanning’s tenure as a captain that the Australian Women’s team clinched seven World Cup titles. She has helped Australia to clinch two ICC Women’s World Cups, and five ICC Women’s T20 World Cups in 241 matches where she led Australia as Captain. Lanning retired with 8000 International runs in her kitty & is regarded as an accomplished leader in white ball format.
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Alex Hales
When Cricketers who retired in 2023 are talked about England’s star player Alex Hales cuts the list. His last stellar knock in the International arena came during the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinals against India where he scored an unbeaten 47 ball 86 runs to guide his team to the finals & further helped England o clinch the finals & lift the coveted trophy. Hales wasn’t a part of the World Cup 2019 winning squad after he failed to clear a drug test & lost the trust of Captain Eoin Morgan who was ultimately dropped from the team. Hales announced his retirement after featuring in 11 Test matches, 70 ODIs & 75 T20Is amassing 573 Test runs, 2419 ODI runs & 2074 T20I runs.
6. Naveen-Ul-Haq
When cricketers taking shocking retirement in 2023 are discussed we can’t forget the name of Naveen-Ul-Haq. An integral part of the Afghanistan Cricket team, Naveen-Ul-Haq made a shocking decision regarding his future in the ODI format. He had already made up his mind of retiring from the ODI format even before the beginning of the ODI World Cup 2023,
However, Naveen made it clear that though he will retire from the ODI format he will continue to play in the T20I format. He also said that it was not an easy decision but he took it to extend his playing career. Naveen is very much in the plans of Afghanistan Cricket for the T20 World Cup 2024 & will also play in the IPL 2024 for LSG if he can get an NOC from ACB. During the ODI World Cup 2023, Naveen shone with a new ball by scalping six wickets in six matches. Overall he had so far played 13 ODIs scalping 20 wickets at an economy of 6.11
7. Aaron Finch
Australia’s star batter Aaron Finch initially announced his retirement from the ODI format on 10th September 2022 ahead of their ODI against New Zealand. However, Aaron planned to play T20Is & it was only in February 2023 that he decided to put a full stop to his T20I career as well. He led Australia in T20 World Cup held in October-November in 2022 in Australia.
Aaron Finch ended his T20I career as the leading run-scorer with 3120 in 103 T20is at 34.28 and a strike rate of 142.53. His high score of 172, made against Zimbabwe in 2018, is the highest T20I innings of all time – a record he also held with his 156 against England in 2013. While he ended his ODI career with 5406 runs in 146 ODIs. His retirement comes as no shock for the fans as his form saw a downward curve.
8. David Willey
When cricketers who announced their retirement in 2023 are discussed David Willey’s name comes on the list. 33-year-old all-rounder Willey has announced his retirement from International Cricket on November 1, 2023. He retired from cricket after the conclusion of ODI World Cup 2023 in India. The announcement was expected as the ECB has denied extending Willey’s Central contract which marks the end of his International Career.
Willey began his International Career in the ODI format against Ireland in May 2015. In his successful International career, David Willey has played in 70 ODIs & 43 T20Is scalping 94 ODI wickets & 51 T20I Wickets. His journey began in June 2015 when he made his T20I debut against New Zealand at Old Trafford. His performance improved in the ODI World Cup where he played a key role for England scalping five wickets in three matches.
9. Hashim Amla
One of the greatest batters of all time Hashim Amla is another cricketer who has retired from all forms of cricket in 2023. In the course of a career that spans two decades, Amla has scored 34,104 runs across all professional formats. He had featured in 124 Tests scoring 9,282 runs between 2004 & 2019 which also includes 28 centuries. He further amassed 8113 runs including 27 hundreds in 181 ODIs, and 1,277 runs in 44 T20Is. He began his second innings in a coaching role in Sa20 as MI’s batting coach. Amla retired from International Cricket after South Africa’s World Cup campaign in 2019, having bowed out of Test cricket against Sri Lanka at Gqeberha in February 2019.
10. Wahab Riaz
When Cricketers who retired in 2023 are discussed Pakistan’s Wahab Riaz cut into the list. Pakistani pacer Wahab Riaz brought an end to his International Career on August 16, 2023. He last played for Pakistan back in 2020 & since then he has not played in any fixtures for the National team. He had decided to hang his boots from International Cricket to focus on T20 leagues played around the world.
The 38-year-old pacer played 27 Tests, 91 ODIs, and 36 T20 Internationals from 2008-2020, claiming 83, 120 and 34 wickets respectively.
These are the Cricketers who have announced their retirement in the year 2023. Some of these retirements came as a shock for fans as these players were at the peak of their careers when they announced their retirement, while some were anticipated much earlier.
However, these stalwart cricketers have left a legacy for others to follow. Among these who is your favorite cricketer? Share with us your choice let’s see who gets maximum votes!
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