Saying goodbyes is hard. Doing what you love for years and then realising your body does not have enough to hold onto your enthusiastic self in the same capacity as earlier takes time and heart to come to terms with.
2024 saw some of the greatest cricketers bid adieu to the sport after creating an ever-lasting impact. Indian legend Ravi Ashwin, who has the most wickets for India in the winning cause (343) said goodbye to the International cricket mid-way in the ongoing Border-Gasvaskar Trophy 2024/25.
The Legend said he has 'a bit of punch left' but would now look to channel it in the club cricket. India captain Rohit Sharma seemed candid when he said that Ashwin had told him that if he is not needed, he would like to go back home. And he indeed went back.
He was not the only cricketer to leave the field of cricket in 2024. There are many more legends of the game, who will not be seen on the 22-yards in the International arena any more.
England legend James Anderson, the master of swing, also left the International circuit as the most-prolific pacer with 991 wickets. His longevity of 22 years in the sport, speaks for the volume of the fitness he has maintained, even though he has focused on Test cricket exclusively since 2015.
He walked down the sunset with 704 wickets and was the only pacer with over 700 scalps in the purest format of the game. His final game came at the mecca of cricket - Lord's against West Indies in July 2024.
There are a few more legends who have hung up their boots in the ongoing year. The likes of David Warner, Tim Southee, Dean Elgar, Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik are among those.
Southee, the former New Zealand captain, left the stage with 391 wickets, second only to Sir Richard Hadlee among the New Zealanders. He also boasts of a strong six-hitting record, having smashed 98 of them in his celebrated career as he was more than handy with the bat. Only Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum and Adam Gilchrist have more maximums than him.
Warner is another legend. He ended his career as the highest run-getter for Australia at the opening slot. Dhawan, an Indian legend and a big-tournament player, also left the stage for someone else to take over. And so did the likes of Elgar and Karthik.
Here is a list of cricketers who have retired from International cricket in 2024:
David Warner, Dean Elgar, Varun Aaron, Saurabh Tiwary, Colin Munro, Neil Wagner, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, David Wiese, Shikhar Dhawan, James Anderson, Dawid Malan, Will Pucovski, Moeen Ali, Barinder Sran, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Siddharth Kaul, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Tim Southee, Ravi Ashwin
