In the 1995-96 Tri-series in Australia, something unique was going to happen. Well, Australia was always ready to make changes in the game and trying to introduce something new all the time. First, it was the entire concept of day-night ODI matches with white balls, which revolutionised the sport forever. But, this time it was a very simple thing. It was the addition of jersey numbers on the back of the shirt which players wore.

Since then, the use of numbers on the back of a t-shirt has been done. Many players use their lucky numbers or a number associated with them. While some players keep their back empty intentionally. For instance, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/coronavirus-has-the-ego-of-not-entering-your-houses-virender-sehwag-spreads-awareness-on-the-pandemic-in-a-hilarious-way/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virender Sehwag</a> had given up his jersey number after failing to adjust to one. He went on to play international cricket during the latter part of his career without a number on his back.

Some jersey numbers become iconic for the players who carry it. There have many cases in sports when international teams or clubs have retired a jersey number for paying tribute to a certain player. Basically, once the number is retired by a particular team, no player ever can have the same number.

Let&#8217;s take a look at the 5 legendary cricketers whose jerseys should be retired forever:

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410963" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sachin-Tendulkar.jpg" alt="Sachin Tendulkar" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410963" class="wp-caption-text">Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Sachin Tendulkar is probably one of the best players to have played the sport. But, if longevity is considered then he probably is the best batsman ever to have played the game. Staying on top of the game for close to 24 years is something incredible and the Mumbaikar achieved it remarkably.

Starting out in 1989, Tendulkar went on to play 200 Test matches until 2013. In these matches, Sachin Tendulkar scored 15921 runs, most by any cricketer ever. This record will probably stay for a very long time, considering how lesser Test cricket is played by the top batsman compared to Tendulkar&#8217;s era.

If that wasn&#8217;t enough, the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-players-who-won-the-ipl-title-with-both-mumbai-indians-and-chennai-super-kings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mumbai </a>batsman has also scored 18426 ODI runs in 463 matches, which he played during the period from 1989 to 2012. When it comes to centuries, he has scored the most in both ODIs and Tests, a total tally which is of 100 centuries, the first and only in the history of cricket to do so. Interestingly, when he got there, most of his competitors were quite far and the gap hasn&#8217;t been bridged until now.

More than this record, it&#8217;s the ability and the impact Sachin had on the Indian sport is what makes him so great. For an entire generation of young cricketers, Sachin was the inspiration. Through the 1990s, there was a saying in cricket &#8216;If Sachin gets out India loses the game.&#8217; Such was the impact of that one man on an entire nation. There is no doubt if you have to retire someone&#8217;s jersey number, it has to be Sachin Tendulkar. His jersey number 10 as iconic as his straight drive.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410965" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ricky-Ponting-2.jpg" alt="Ricky Ponting" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410965" class="wp-caption-text">Ricky Ponting. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Having played 168 Test matches in his entire career Ponting scored 13379 runs with 41 centuries. In 375 ODIs, he scored 13704 runs with 30 centuries. Well, the Tasmanian man did everything with the bat that he could during his long career that lasted for 17 years.

But, Ponting&#8217;s legacy just doesn&#8217;t end there. The man from Tasmania led Australia on numerous occasion and turned out to be the most successful captain that the country ever had. One could suggest that Ricky Ponting had the best set of world-class players playing in an era where the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/tell-steve-smith-is-your-idol-not-jacques-kallis-australian-team-plays-a-prank-on-marnus-labuschagne-on-april-fools-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Australian </a>Cricket was at the peak of its power. However, to lead a team to two successive World cups trophies is nothing less than glorious. Remarkably, Australian didn&#8217;t lose a single match through the entire tournament during those two World Cup wins&#8211; 2003 and 2007.

In 228 ODIs which he led, Australia won 164 matches. On the surface that could sound like a normal record but that&#8217;s the best by far for any captain. Another 48 wins in 77 Tests as captain makes him the most successful captain in the history of international cricket. A tally of 219 wins in his 322 matches as captain, along with the two world cups and two champion trophies, is a testament to the fact how good a captain Punter was.

Additionally, Australia was the number one Test side for the longest period during Ricky Ponting&#8217;s tenure. The jersey number 14 has become quite iconic and symbolic in relation to the Tasmanian man and should be retired to pay tribute to the man who took Australian cricket to the uncharted heights.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410966" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Muttiah-Muralitharan.jpg" alt="Muttiah Muralitharan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410966" class="wp-caption-text">Muttiah Muralitharan. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

1347. That&#8217;s not a year in history or not a random number but it&#8217;s the number of international wickets which Muttiah Muralitharan has. To give you an idea how far he is from the rest of his peers, the second on the list is Shane Warne with 1001 wickets. Well, Murali was a wizard of the craft that is spin bowling. The Sri Lankan off-spinner could be called as &#8220;everything spinner&#8221; because of his variation and ability to adjust and adapt to conditions.

Muralitharan&#8217;s record as a bowler is not only staggering but astonishing to an extent as that its longevity surprises everybody. Go around and take a look any expert&#8217;s all-time world XI across the globe, you would find at him at number 10 or 11 as the lone spinner.

Such is the credibility and excellence of this man from Kandy,<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/muttiah-muralitharan-donates-5-million-lkr-to-the-sri-lankan-government-to-fight-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Sri Lanka</a>. He changed the face of Sri Lankan cricket and was at the peak of his powers, the island nation started emerging as a world-class team. Here we are referring to the 1990s when the Lankan side became world champions and established themselves as a world competitor.

Truly Muralitharan is a legend of the game and would go down as one of the best ever to have taken the field. But his legacy will live with the fact that he took 1347 International wickets, more than anybody on the planet. Considering, the stats of the current players, it&#8217;s hard to believe that anybody would go on to break the record set by this legendary man.

Muralitharan had two sets of jersey numbers. One of them would be the iconic, 08 which he wore for the most number of times. However, after 800 Test wickets, becoming the first and only man to do so, he had the jersey number 800 in a lot of franchise league matches. Maybe, it would be a suiting tribute to this legend to retire either of his jersey numbers.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410967" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jacques-Kallis.jpg" alt="Jacques Kallis" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410967" class="wp-caption-text">Jacques Kallis. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

They said you could either be a world better as a batsman or a world better as a bowler. However, Jacques Kallis didn&#8217;t take it that way. The South African legend was a terrific and a world-class batsman but also one of the spearheads of the South African bowling attack during his days. Well if you pick close to 600 International wickets and score up to 25,000 International runs, you have to be pretty good at a job and Kallis was on top of his game since his debut in 1995 till his last international game in 2014.

He would be called a &#8216;Silent Assassin&#8217; by fans. Standing at one end, batting solidly and driving South Africa to victory. And when the captain needed a bowler to step in and support the bowling attack, there was Kallis at it again. Taking the new ball, old ball or whichever ball is given to him by the captain. Some experts in <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/south-africa-born-devon-conway-set-to-play-for-new-zealand/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">South Africa</a> claim that if Kallis wouldn&#8217;t have been a batsman, he would still make it to the South African side just as a bowler. Yes, he was that good back in the day.

The sheer volume of runs and wickets that he has taken through his career is surprisingly a lot and cannot be discounted. He is the greatest all-rounder to have ever played the sport without a doubt. Yes, people would claim Gary Sobers as the best but with all due respect to the legend, he only played one format of the game.

While Kallis, on the other hand, was an exhibitionist and master of the art in all forms of the game. After retiring from international cricket, he also went on to play a lot of franchise T20 league. This just goes to show the ability and versatility, this man had. The iconic jersey number 3 is associated with Kallis and he wore it for the longer part of his career. Retiring the number would be the correct way to give a tribute to this legendary all-rounder.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410964" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-2.jpg" alt="MS Dhoni" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410964" class="wp-caption-text">MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

If Ricky Ponting won two World cups and two Champions trophies, MS Dhoni is the captain who has won each and every ICC trophy. Having led the Indian team from 2007 till 2016, MS Dhoni has done everything that captain could have done. He won the T20 world cup in 2007 as a very young captain and in 2011, he brought the World Cup after 28 years. In fact, he made sure there were no hiccups after a few initial ones in that final.

When India won the World cup, fittingly enough, Dhoni was on one end. His six to win the trophy would be the most iconic moment of Indian cricket and its memories would be edged in the hearts of every fan of Indian cricket in the years to come.

After this, he went on to win the Champions Trophy in 2013, making him the first captain to win all the three ICC trophies. He also was the captain of the Indian side when India was ranked the number one Test side for a significant amount of time. There are a couple of Asia Cups, three IPL trophies and two Champions League trophies that fill cabinet of MS Dhoni.

Master finisher, great wicketkeeper and the most well-thinking captain, you would see on the game Dhoni has mastered the craft in the nicest way possible. Having spoken about his captaincy in lengths, the fact that MS Dhoni scored 10,000 runs in ODI cricket average of 50 can&#8217;t also be discounted.

For a batsman to score at an average of 50 is an incredible feat, but if he maintains that for 350 ODIs, then he would be a legend. That&#8217;s exactly what MS Dhoni has done. The man from <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-bold-moves-by-franchise-owners-in-ipl-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ranchi </a>surely will still play but once he is done, retiring his iconic jersey number 7 would be a great way to pay some respect to this legend.

In the 1995-96 Tri-series in Australia, something unique was going to happen. Well, Australia was always ready to make changes in the game and trying to introduce something new all the time. First, it was the entire concept of day-night ODI matches with white balls, which revolutionised the sport forever. But, this time it was a very simple thing. It was the addition of jersey numbers on the back of the shirt which players wore.
Since then, the use of numbers on the back of a t-shirt has been done. Many players use their lucky numbers or a number associated with them. While some players keep their back empty intentionally. For instance, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/coronavirus-has-the-ego-of-not-entering-your-houses-virender-sehwag-spreads-awareness-on-the-pandemic-in-a-hilarious-way/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virender Sehwag</a> had given up his jersey number after failing to adjust to one. He went on to play international cricket during the latter part of his career without a number on his back.
Some jersey numbers become iconic for the players who carry it. There have many cases in sports when international teams or clubs have retired a jersey number for paying tribute to a certain player. Basically, once the number is retired by a particular team, no player ever can have the same number.
Let’s take a look at the 5 legendary cricketers whose jerseys should be retired forever:
<h3>1. Sachin Tendulkar</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410963" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410963" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-410963" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sachin-Tendulkar.jpg" alt="Sachin Tendulkar" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410963" class="wp-caption-text">Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Sachin Tendulkar is probably one of the best players to have played the sport. But, if longevity is considered then he probably is the best batsman ever to have played the game. Staying on top of the game for close to 24 years is something incredible and the Mumbaikar achieved it remarkably.
Starting out in 1989, Tendulkar went on to play 200 Test matches until 2013. In these matches, Sachin Tendulkar scored 15921 runs, most by any cricketer ever. This record will probably stay for a very long time, considering how lesser Test cricket is played by the top batsman compared to Tendulkar’s era.
If that wasn’t enough, the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-players-who-won-the-ipl-title-with-both-mumbai-indians-and-chennai-super-kings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mumbai </a>batsman has also scored 18426 ODI runs in 463 matches, which he played during the period from 1989 to 2012. When it comes to centuries, he has scored the most in both ODIs and Tests, a total tally which is of 100 centuries, the first and only in the history of cricket to do so. Interestingly, when he got there, most of his competitors were quite far and the gap hasn’t been bridged until now.
More than this record, it’s the ability and the impact Sachin had on the Indian sport is what makes him so great. For an entire generation of young cricketers, Sachin was the inspiration. Through the 1990s, there was a saying in cricket ‘If Sachin gets out India loses the game.’ Such was the impact of that one man on an entire nation. There is no doubt if you have to retire someone’s jersey number, it has to be Sachin Tendulkar. His jersey number 10 as iconic as his straight drive.

<h3>2. Ricky Ponting</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410965" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410965" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-410965" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ricky-Ponting-2.jpg" alt="Ricky Ponting" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410965" class="wp-caption-text">Ricky Ponting. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Having played 168 Test matches in his entire career Ponting scored 13379 runs with 41 centuries. In 375 ODIs, he scored 13704 runs with 30 centuries. Well, the Tasmanian man did everything with the bat that he could during his long career that lasted for 17 years.
But, Ponting’s legacy just doesn’t end there. The man from Tasmania led Australia on numerous occasion and turned out to be the most successful captain that the country ever had. One could suggest that Ricky Ponting had the best set of world-class players playing in an era where the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/tell-steve-smith-is-your-idol-not-jacques-kallis-australian-team-plays-a-prank-on-marnus-labuschagne-on-april-fools-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Australian </a>Cricket was at the peak of its power. However, to lead a team to two successive World cups trophies is nothing less than glorious. Remarkably, Australian didn’t lose a single match through the entire tournament during those two World Cup wins– 2003 and 2007.
In 228 ODIs which he led, Australia won 164 matches. On the surface that could sound like a normal record but that’s the best by far for any captain. Another 48 wins in 77 Tests as captain makes him the most successful captain in the history of international cricket. A tally of 219 wins in his 322 matches as captain, along with the two world cups and two champion trophies, is a testament to the fact how good a captain Punter was.
Additionally, Australia was the number one Test side for the longest period during Ricky Ponting’s tenure. The jersey number 14 has become quite iconic and symbolic in relation to the Tasmanian man and should be retired to pay tribute to the man who took Australian cricket to the uncharted heights.

<h3>3. Muttiah Muralitharan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410966" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410966" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-410966" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Muttiah-Muralitharan.jpg" alt="Muttiah Muralitharan" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410966" class="wp-caption-text">Muttiah Muralitharan. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
1347. That’s not a year in history or not a random number but it’s the number of international wickets which Muttiah Muralitharan has. To give you an idea how far he is from the rest of his peers, the second on the list is Shane Warne with 1001 wickets. Well, Murali was a wizard of the craft that is spin bowling. The Sri Lankan off-spinner could be called as “everything spinner” because of his variation and ability to adjust and adapt to conditions.
Muralitharan’s record as a bowler is not only staggering but astonishing to an extent as that its longevity surprises everybody. Go around and take a look any expert’s all-time world XI across the globe, you would find at him at number 10 or 11 as the lone spinner.
Such is the credibility and excellence of this man from Kandy,<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/muttiah-muralitharan-donates-5-million-lkr-to-the-sri-lankan-government-to-fight-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Sri Lanka</a>. He changed the face of Sri Lankan cricket and was at the peak of his powers, the island nation started emerging as a world-class team. Here we are referring to the 1990s when the Lankan side became world champions and established themselves as a world competitor.
Truly Muralitharan is a legend of the game and would go down as one of the best ever to have taken the field. But his legacy will live with the fact that he took 1347 International wickets, more than anybody on the planet. Considering, the stats of the current players, it’s hard to believe that anybody would go on to break the record set by this legendary man.
Muralitharan had two sets of jersey numbers. One of them would be the iconic, 08 which he wore for the most number of times. However, after 800 Test wickets, becoming the first and only man to do so, he had the jersey number 800 in a lot of franchise league matches. Maybe, it would be a suiting tribute to this legend to retire either of his jersey numbers.

<h3>4. Jacques Kallis</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410967" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410967" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-410967" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jacques-Kallis.jpg" alt="Jacques Kallis" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410967" class="wp-caption-text">Jacques Kallis. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
They said you could either be a world better as a batsman or a world better as a bowler. However, Jacques Kallis didn’t take it that way. The South African legend was a terrific and a world-class batsman but also one of the spearheads of the South African bowling attack during his days. Well if you pick close to 600 International wickets and score up to 25,000 International runs, you have to be pretty good at a job and Kallis was on top of his game since his debut in 1995 till his last international game in 2014.
He would be called a ‘Silent Assassin’ by fans. Standing at one end, batting solidly and driving South Africa to victory. And when the captain needed a bowler to step in and support the bowling attack, there was Kallis at it again. Taking the new ball, old ball or whichever ball is given to him by the captain. Some experts in <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/south-africa-born-devon-conway-set-to-play-for-new-zealand/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">South Africa</a> claim that if Kallis wouldn’t have been a batsman, he would still make it to the South African side just as a bowler. Yes, he was that good back in the day.
The sheer volume of runs and wickets that he has taken through his career is surprisingly a lot and cannot be discounted. He is the greatest all-rounder to have ever played the sport without a doubt. Yes, people would claim Gary Sobers as the best but with all due respect to the legend, he only played one format of the game.
While Kallis, on the other hand, was an exhibitionist and master of the art in all forms of the game. After retiring from international cricket, he also went on to play a lot of franchise T20 league. This just goes to show the ability and versatility, this man had. The iconic jersey number 3 is associated with Kallis and he wore it for the longer part of his career. Retiring the number would be the correct way to give a tribute to this legendary all-rounder.

<h3>5. MS Dhoni</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410964" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410964" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-410964" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-2.jpg" alt="MS Dhoni" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410964" class="wp-caption-text">MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
If Ricky Ponting won two World cups and two Champions trophies, MS Dhoni is the captain who has won each and every ICC trophy. Having led the Indian team from 2007 till 2016, MS Dhoni has done everything that captain could have done. He won the T20 world cup in 2007 as a very young captain and in 2011, he brought the World Cup after 28 years. In fact, he made sure there were no hiccups after a few initial ones in that final.
When India won the World cup, fittingly enough, Dhoni was on one end. His six to win the trophy would be the most iconic moment of Indian cricket and its memories would be edged in the hearts of every fan of Indian cricket in the years to come.
After this, he went on to win the Champions Trophy in 2013, making him the first captain to win all the three ICC trophies. He also was the captain of the Indian side when India was ranked the number one Test side for a significant amount of time. There are a couple of Asia Cups, three IPL trophies and two Champions League trophies that fill cabinet of MS Dhoni.
Master finisher, great wicketkeeper and the most well-thinking captain, you would see on the game Dhoni has mastered the craft in the nicest way possible. Having spoken about his captaincy in lengths, the fact that MS Dhoni scored 10,000 runs in ODI cricket average of 50 can’t also be discounted.
For a batsman to score at an average of 50 is an incredible feat, but if he maintains that for 350 ODIs, then he would be a legend. That’s exactly what MS Dhoni has done. The man from <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-bold-moves-by-franchise-owners-in-ipl-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ranchi </a>surely will still play but once he is done, retiring his iconic jersey number 7 would be a great way to pay some respect to this legend.

In the 1995-96 Tri-series in Australia, something unique was going to happen. Well, Australia was always ready to make changes in the game and trying to introduce something new all the time. First, it was the entire concept of day-night ODI matches with white balls, which revolutionised the sport forever. But, this time it was a very simple thing. It was the addition of jersey numbers on the back of the shirt which players wore.
Since then, the use of numbers on the back of a t-shirt has been done. Many players use their lucky numbers or a number associated with them. While some players keep their back empty intentionally. For instance, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/coronavirus-has-the-ego-of-not-entering-your-houses-virender-sehwag-spreads-awareness-on-the-pandemic-in-a-hilarious-way/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virender Sehwag</a> had given up his jersey number after failing to adjust to one. He went on to play international cricket during the latter part of his career without a number on his back.
Some jersey numbers become iconic for the players who carry it. There have many cases in sports when international teams or clubs have retired a jersey number for paying tribute to a certain player. Basically, once the number is retired by a particular team, no player ever can have the same number.
Let&#8217;s take a look at the 5 legendary cricketers whose jerseys should be retired forever:
<h3>1. Sachin Tendulkar</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410963" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410963" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410963" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sachin-Tendulkar.jpg" alt="Sachin Tendulkar" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410963" class="wp-caption-text">Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Sachin Tendulkar is probably one of the best players to have played the sport. But, if longevity is considered then he probably is the best batsman ever to have played the game. Staying on top of the game for close to 24 years is something incredible and the Mumbaikar achieved it remarkably.
Starting out in 1989, Tendulkar went on to play 200 Test matches until 2013. In these matches, Sachin Tendulkar scored 15921 runs, most by any cricketer ever. This record will probably stay for a very long time, considering how lesser Test cricket is played by the top batsman compared to Tendulkar&#8217;s era.
If that wasn&#8217;t enough, the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-players-who-won-the-ipl-title-with-both-mumbai-indians-and-chennai-super-kings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mumbai </a>batsman has also scored 18426 ODI runs in 463 matches, which he played during the period from 1989 to 2012. When it comes to centuries, he has scored the most in both ODIs and Tests, a total tally which is of 100 centuries, the first and only in the history of cricket to do so. Interestingly, when he got there, most of his competitors were quite far and the gap hasn&#8217;t been bridged until now.
More than this record, it&#8217;s the ability and the impact Sachin had on the Indian sport is what makes him so great. For an entire generation of young cricketers, Sachin was the inspiration. Through the 1990s, there was a saying in cricket &#8216;If Sachin gets out India loses the game.&#8217; Such was the impact of that one man on an entire nation. There is no doubt if you have to retire someone&#8217;s jersey number, it has to be Sachin Tendulkar. His jersey number 10 as iconic as his straight drive.

<h3>2. Ricky Ponting</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410965" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410965" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410965" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ricky-Ponting-2.jpg" alt="Ricky Ponting" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410965" class="wp-caption-text">Ricky Ponting. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Having played 168 Test matches in his entire career Ponting scored 13379 runs with 41 centuries. In 375 ODIs, he scored 13704 runs with 30 centuries. Well, the Tasmanian man did everything with the bat that he could during his long career that lasted for 17 years.
But, Ponting&#8217;s legacy just doesn&#8217;t end there. The man from Tasmania led Australia on numerous occasion and turned out to be the most successful captain that the country ever had. One could suggest that Ricky Ponting had the best set of world-class players playing in an era where the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/tell-steve-smith-is-your-idol-not-jacques-kallis-australian-team-plays-a-prank-on-marnus-labuschagne-on-april-fools-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Australian </a>Cricket was at the peak of its power. However, to lead a team to two successive World cups trophies is nothing less than glorious. Remarkably, Australian didn&#8217;t lose a single match through the entire tournament during those two World Cup wins&#8211; 2003 and 2007.
In 228 ODIs which he led, Australia won 164 matches. On the surface that could sound like a normal record but that&#8217;s the best by far for any captain. Another 48 wins in 77 Tests as captain makes him the most successful captain in the history of international cricket. A tally of 219 wins in his 322 matches as captain, along with the two world cups and two champion trophies, is a testament to the fact how good a captain Punter was.
Additionally, Australia was the number one Test side for the longest period during Ricky Ponting&#8217;s tenure. The jersey number 14 has become quite iconic and symbolic in relation to the Tasmanian man and should be retired to pay tribute to the man who took Australian cricket to the uncharted heights.

<h3>3. Muttiah Muralitharan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410966" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410966" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410966" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Muttiah-Muralitharan.jpg" alt="Muttiah Muralitharan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410966" class="wp-caption-text">Muttiah Muralitharan. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
1347. That&#8217;s not a year in history or not a random number but it&#8217;s the number of international wickets which Muttiah Muralitharan has. To give you an idea how far he is from the rest of his peers, the second on the list is Shane Warne with 1001 wickets. Well, Murali was a wizard of the craft that is spin bowling. The Sri Lankan off-spinner could be called as &#8220;everything spinner&#8221; because of his variation and ability to adjust and adapt to conditions.
Muralitharan&#8217;s record as a bowler is not only staggering but astonishing to an extent as that its longevity surprises everybody. Go around and take a look any expert&#8217;s all-time world XI across the globe, you would find at him at number 10 or 11 as the lone spinner.
Such is the credibility and excellence of this man from Kandy,<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/muttiah-muralitharan-donates-5-million-lkr-to-the-sri-lankan-government-to-fight-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Sri Lanka</a>. He changed the face of Sri Lankan cricket and was at the peak of his powers, the island nation started emerging as a world-class team. Here we are referring to the 1990s when the Lankan side became world champions and established themselves as a world competitor.
Truly Muralitharan is a legend of the game and would go down as one of the best ever to have taken the field. But his legacy will live with the fact that he took 1347 International wickets, more than anybody on the planet. Considering, the stats of the current players, it&#8217;s hard to believe that anybody would go on to break the record set by this legendary man.
Muralitharan had two sets of jersey numbers. One of them would be the iconic, 08 which he wore for the most number of times. However, after 800 Test wickets, becoming the first and only man to do so, he had the jersey number 800 in a lot of franchise league matches. Maybe, it would be a suiting tribute to this legend to retire either of his jersey numbers.

<h3>4. Jacques Kallis</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410967" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410967" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410967" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jacques-Kallis.jpg" alt="Jacques Kallis" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410967" class="wp-caption-text">Jacques Kallis. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
They said you could either be a world better as a batsman or a world better as a bowler. However, Jacques Kallis didn&#8217;t take it that way. The South African legend was a terrific and a world-class batsman but also one of the spearheads of the South African bowling attack during his days. Well if you pick close to 600 International wickets and score up to 25,000 International runs, you have to be pretty good at a job and Kallis was on top of his game since his debut in 1995 till his last international game in 2014.
He would be called a &#8216;Silent Assassin&#8217; by fans. Standing at one end, batting solidly and driving South Africa to victory. And when the captain needed a bowler to step in and support the bowling attack, there was Kallis at it again. Taking the new ball, old ball or whichever ball is given to him by the captain. Some experts in <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/south-africa-born-devon-conway-set-to-play-for-new-zealand/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">South Africa</a> claim that if Kallis wouldn&#8217;t have been a batsman, he would still make it to the South African side just as a bowler. Yes, he was that good back in the day.
The sheer volume of runs and wickets that he has taken through his career is surprisingly a lot and cannot be discounted. He is the greatest all-rounder to have ever played the sport without a doubt. Yes, people would claim Gary Sobers as the best but with all due respect to the legend, he only played one format of the game.
While Kallis, on the other hand, was an exhibitionist and master of the art in all forms of the game. After retiring from international cricket, he also went on to play a lot of franchise T20 league. This just goes to show the ability and versatility, this man had. The iconic jersey number 3 is associated with Kallis and he wore it for the longer part of his career. Retiring the number would be the correct way to give a tribute to this legendary all-rounder.

<h3>5. MS Dhoni</h3>
<figure id="attachment_410964" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-410964" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-410964" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/MS-Dhoni-2.jpg" alt="MS Dhoni" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-410964" class="wp-caption-text">MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
If Ricky Ponting won two World cups and two Champions trophies, MS Dhoni is the captain who has won each and every ICC trophy. Having led the Indian team from 2007 till 2016, MS Dhoni has done everything that captain could have done. He won the T20 world cup in 2007 as a very young captain and in 2011, he brought the World Cup after 28 years. In fact, he made sure there were no hiccups after a few initial ones in that final.
When India won the World cup, fittingly enough, Dhoni was on one end. His six to win the trophy would be the most iconic moment of Indian cricket and its memories would be edged in the hearts of every fan of Indian cricket in the years to come.
After this, he went on to win the Champions Trophy in 2013, making him the first captain to win all the three ICC trophies. He also was the captain of the Indian side when India was ranked the number one Test side for a significant amount of time. There are a couple of Asia Cups, three IPL trophies and two Champions League trophies that fill cabinet of MS Dhoni.
Master finisher, great wicketkeeper and the most well-thinking captain, you would see on the game Dhoni has mastered the craft in the nicest way possible. Having spoken about his captaincy in lengths, the fact that MS Dhoni scored 10,000 runs in ODI cricket average of 50 can&#8217;t also be discounted.
For a batsman to score at an average of 50 is an incredible feat, but if he maintains that for 350 ODIs, then he would be a legend. That&#8217;s exactly what MS Dhoni has done. The man from <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/5-bold-moves-by-franchise-owners-in-ipl-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ranchi </a>surely will still play but once he is done, retiring his iconic jersey number 7 would be a great way to pay some respect to this legend.