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19 March 2024

Dhoni, Gayle, Malinga, Afridi… 7 stars ready to retire after WT20?

Published
By Vicky Kapur

The ICC World Twenty20 will be over in less than a week – the finals are on Sunday, April 3 (as if you didn’t already know).

And while all but the four semi-finalist countries – Australia, New Zealand, England and India – have wrapped up their campaigns for the coveted cup, there are speculations that several stalwarts are ready to call it a day once the dust settles on the ground after the finals.

India’s Virat Kohli may have forced Australia’s Shane ‘Watto’ Watson into T20 retirement two matches too soon, but there are several who haven’t formally announced their retirement yet and may be waiting for the hype around Sunday’s finals to settle down before making their farewell speech.

Some of these gladiators have, indeed, dropped big hints while brandishing their armour – Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi seems to have a now-on, now-off policy towards retirement, but he’s senior enough to read the writing on the wall.

On the other hand, there are those that are keeping their plans close to their chest – all self-respecting journos know that it’s now mandatory to wear a helmet before asking Indian captain MS Dhoni about hanging up his gloves.

Then there are some who may have to retire owing to injuries – Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga had to sit out the entire ICC World Twenty20 (some even blame Malinga’s on-field absence for the reigning champions not even getting a berth in the semis).

Then there are others who may be on the wrong side of 30s and whose physical fitness will probably force them to withdraw – West Indies master blaster Chris Gayle is a likely candidate. A back injury forced Gayle to take a long break last year, and with his problems returning this year, he may have to skip work again.

#1 Shahid Afridi. Fans awarded him the ‘boom boom’ moniker for his swashbuckling batting style and the never-say-die spirit on the field. Of late, though, Pakistan’s T20 skipper seems to have lost his Midas touch, and the ageing hero is split between winning that one last hurrah for his fans or saying goodbye before fans forget the 'm' in 'Boom Boom Afridi' and just go with 'Boo Boo Afridi'.

Pakistan cricket has been mired in politics for many years now, and several coaches and captains have been sacrificed at the altar of the team’s non-performance. The cricket-loving nation, on the other hand, has been starved of worthwhile on-field victories, and while many still love Afridi, some hope that a change at top this time may help the team succeed.

After Pakistan’s elimination from this World Twenty20 on Friday following a defeat against Australia, Afridi has said that he’s going to take a call about his future once he’s back in Pakistan. He may decide to linger on as a member of the T20 team for some more time, but the days if his captaincy are all but over. “As a player I'm fine but as a captain I'm not fit because it's not easy to handle the pressure, especially if you are playing for Pakistan... the expectation pressure, the media pressure, everything,” he said after the latest defeat in India.

“I’m going to go back home and in the next four-five days I will take a decision and whatever is better for the country, I will go with that. I think I will announce this in my country,” the 36-year-old told reporters.

Watch: Shahid Afridi hints at retirement after Australia loss in ICC World T20 2016

#2 Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Captain cool has been a major turnaround agent for Indian cricket. No other Indian captain has a better ‘win’ record, and India has already won World Cups in both formats under his captaincy – the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ODI World Cup in 2011.

To be sure, he’s neither hinted that he’s contemplating retirement, nor deserves to retire – but that hasn’t stopped eager scribes from repeatedly asking that question. Initially, he laughed it away. Then he deflected it. He even started ducking it, just like a good batsman should react to a well-directed bouncer. But the question keeps coming back to york him at most press conferences.

Dhoni is now so exasperated by that question that he’s stopped hiding his contempt while answering it.

“There will be questions, you send me letters or requisitions. If you have the freedom, it’s not right to ask all types of questions. It’s very important to judge everything as to what needs to be done, why it needs to be done. Because somebody has the platform to ask questions, it does not mean that you keep on asking the same questions. It’s a world today where everything is covered by media,” says a visibly irritated Dhoni.

But will he? We’re looking for a good helmet before we pose him this question (outrunning is not an option – we saw how fast he can sprint when he ran Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman out last week).

Watch: MS Dhoni sprint like a hare to run Mustafizur Rahman out

#3 Chris Gayle. He isn’t called GayleStorm for nothing. Christopher Henry ‘Chris’ Gayle is considered one of the most powerful batsmen in limited-overs cricket. The Jamaican has set numerous records in all formats of the game.

One of the most destructive batsmen in cricketing history, Gayle is the only individual to have scored a double ton in the ODI World Cup (it also happened to be the fastest double century in an ODI). He’s the only other cricketer to have more than 400 international sixes under his belt – Shahid Afridi has scored the most number of sixes (over 450).

He also holds the record for the highest T20 score: 175 not-out in IPL 2013. He smashed 17 sixes in that innings he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors. He also holds the record for the fastest 50 in a T20 match – it took him all of 12 balls to score a half-century.

He scored 117 in the opening World Cup Twenty20 in 2007 – the highest individual score in T20 World Cup until Brendon McCullum smashed that record in 2012. The list of his records is a long one, but so is the list of his injuries. His good friend Dwayne Bravo has said that the 2016 T20 World Cup will be Gayle’s last, but we won’t believe it until we hear Gayle say so.

#4 Lasith Malinga. Known as Slinga Malinga for his vitriolic precision when it comes to fast-paced Yorkers, Sri Lanka’s trump card has a nagging knee problem that kept him out of the current Twenty20 World Cup. Having previously dropped heavy hints about him retiring right after the WT20, it is only a matter of time now that Malinga takes leave from active duty.

“I have to take a call after the World T20. The number of injuries I have suffered… it’s not easy to come back and hit the groove straightaway. Sri Lanka need me in World T20. After that I will see how my body works,” he said before the start of the tournament.

Known as much for his standout hairstyle as he is for his attacking pace, Malinga has proved to be an asset for the Sri Lankan team, and has been pivotal in the team’s recent successes.

Watch: Malinga’s yorkers have troubles the world’s best

Among other notable cricketers that may retire soon are Sri Lanka’s left-arm spin-king Rangana Herath (recurring knee problems), South African ‘Superman’ AB de Villiers (family commitments + age) and Bangladesh skipper ‘Narail Express’ Mashrafe Mortaza.