Top 10 Cricketers Coming Out of Retirement – In cricket, or any sport, there are many moments when a player feels that they no longer have enough left in them to continue serving their team. Some take retirement because of fitness issues or workload, some step away to spend more time with their family, while others do it due to differences with their cricket board or management. At times, personal reasons also play a role. But what often happens is that after retirement, players realize they still have the passion, or their mindset changes, and they decide to make a comeback. This is exactly what has happened recently with South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock, who has reversed his retirement and will once again be seen playing for his country. This has once again brought attention to the trend of cricketers coming out of retirement.

Today, we’ll look at some other famous cases of cricketers coming out of retirement to represent their nation again. Some of these players not only made a comeback but also delivered outstanding performances for their team. Their return had a major impact on their side’s success, proving that sometimes cricketers coming out of retirement can be a blessing in disguise. So let’s begin.

Cricketers Coming Out of Retirement (Top 10)

• Imran Khan

Pakistan’s legendary all-rounder Imran Khan is an obvious name in the list of cricketers coming out of retirement. Imran announced his retirement after Pakistan lost to Australia in the ICC ODI WC 1987 semifinal. Later, Pakistan’s then-president Zia ul Haq asked Imran Khan to represent the country again. Imran’s heart changed, and it was one of his best decisions in his cricket career. He won the ODI WC in 1992 as captain of Pakistan and finally hung up his boots.

• Shahid Afridi

At one point, it had almost become a joke that Shahid Afridi kept announcing retirements. People used to say, “Who knows, maybe he’ll retire today and then return to play for Pakistan the day after tomorrow.” Anyway, jokes aside, over the course of his career, he announced retirement six times, between 2006 and 2018. He played his last match for Pakistan in 2017 and announced his retirement, but in 2018, he featured in one game for the Rest of the World, which turned out to be his final international appearance.

• Ben Stokes

In 2022, Ben Stokes announced his retirement from ODIs, citing workload management in international cricket. Later, he could not resist coming out of retirement and playing the all-important ICC ODI WC 2023 in India. Although he has not had much impact for England in the tournament, England has also missed out on reaching the top 4. Stokes has not announced his official retirement from the ODI format again, after playing the 2023 ODI WC, but he has not played any 50-over game for England since then. As of September 2025, he is still an active cricketer in test cricket.

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• Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali is also one of the names in the list of cricketers coming out of retirement. Ben Stokes also had an involvement in Moeen Ali’s comeback. Stokes wanted Ali to play the 2023 Ashes in England. Ali, who announced his test retirement in 2021, came out of retirement after having discussions with captain Ben Stokes, coach Brendon McCullum, and ECB (England Cricket Board) Officials. England managed to draw the Ashes 2-2, and Ali played his last test in that series. Later, in 2024, Ali announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket. In 2025, he also announced his retirement from English domestic cricket to explore coaching opportunities.

• Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir’s international career has been a roller-coaster ride. First, he faced a five-year ban in 2010 for a spot-fixing scandal in England. Then, he came back to international cricket in 2016 to play for Pakistan again. In December 2020, he announced his retirement from all forms of internationals, after having issues with the then-time management. Later, he came out of retirement to play the 2024 T20 WC. After playing the tournament, he announced his retirement again in December 2024.

• Kevin Pieterson

Kevin Pieterson announced his retirement from white-ball cricket in 2011 to focus on red-ball cricket. He was at the peak of his career when he announced his retirement. But less than 60 days later, he took a U-turn and played ODIs and T20Is as well. Finally, he played his last white-ball game for England in September 2013. His last test appearance was in the Ashes 2013-14, at Sydney Cricket Ground. He then announced his international retirement in June 2014, after the ECB made it clear that he would not be considered for England selection.

• Brendan Taylor

Brendan Taylor is one of the legendary batters in Zimbabwe cricket. His numbers speak volumes as he has scored 6704 runs in ODIs and 2371 runs in tests. After scoring a hundred against India in the ICC ODI WC 2015, he announced his retirement from internationals. He was then signed by Nottinghamshire to play County Cricket in England. But, in 2017, he was released by the County, citing personal reasons. Taylor was eligible to play for Zimbabwe again, and he played for Zimbabwe till September 2021, before announcing his second retirement. After announcing his retirement, he has to face a 3.5-year ban as he did not report to the ICC (International Cricket Council) about the corrupt approaches he faced in 2019. Now, after his ban is over, he is playing for Zimbabwe again.

• Javagal Srinath

Javagal Srinath announced his sudden retirement from Test cricket in 2002 after the West Indies tour. However, India’s then-captain Sourav Ganguly convinced him to play for India again. Srinath then led the pace attack of India in the 2003 ODI World Cup. In 2003, he announced his official retirement from all forms of cricket. He became the 2nd highest wicket-taker for India in the ICC ODI WC 2003, making him one of the notable cricketers coming out of retirement.

• Javed Miandad

The legendary Pakistan batter Javed Miandad announced his first retirement in 1994, after the selectors dropped him from the team. The cricket fans in the country demanded Miandad’s comeback, and Pakistan’s then-Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, told the cricketer to reconsider his decision. Miandad came out of retirement and played for Pakistan again, till the 1996 ODI WC Quarterfinal against India.

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• Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock always had some issues with the management and the politics involved in cricket, whether it was a black lives matter moment in the T20 WC 2021 or a test captaincy phase in 2020, where he himself was not comfortable playing that role. The elegant left-hander announced his test retirement in the middle of a home test series against India in 2021. He already announced before the ODI WC 2023 that the tournament would be his last in this format. De Kock played his last international game for SA in the T20 WC 2024, in the final. Now, he reverses his decision and will play for the country in Pakistan and Namibia’s white-ball tour.

So this is the list of the top 10 cricketers coming out of retirement. These are not the only ones who reversed their retirement decisions and came out to play again. Other top players like Tamim Iqbal, Carl Hooper, Imad Wasim, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Bob Simpson, Jerome Taylor, etc, are the ones who announced their retirements from different formats in internationals, but reversed their decisions. The list goes on, and we can’t cover all of them in one article. But we have picked these 10 names in the list. What do you think? Who is your favourite of the above-mentioned names? You can comment on your opinion on this as well. Thank you for reading. Keep following sportschilly.com for the latest updates.

FAQs:-

(1) When did Sachin Tendulkar retire from all forms of international cricket?

A. Sachin Tendulkar played his last international game against the West Indies, at home ground in Mumbai, in a test series in 2013.

(2) When did AB de Villiers announce his international retirement?

A. AB de Villiers announced his international retirement in May 2018.

(3) Which cricketer announced his retirement from internationals the most?

A. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi announced his international retirement 6 times, between 2006 and 2018. He announced his retirement in 2006, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017, and finally in 2018 (you never know).

(4) What are the common reasons for players’ retirement?

A. Players take retirement due to age, fitness issues,  workload management, issues with the selectors/board/management, desire to spend more time with family, personal reasons, etc.

(5) Is retirement permanent in cricket?

A. No. Retirement is not a permanent thing in cricket. A player can return to play after communicating with the selectors, management, and board and obtaining their approval. There is no legal paperwork in retirement.