Momentum, form, and fitness of a player in any sport play a key role for a sportsperson during his/her career. If these three attributes fall into one place, they can help the player to prolong their career. Apart from these attributes, the backing from the senior player or the selectors provides confidence to a certain player to do well for their respective team.

In the game of cricket, several cricketers have opted to take retirement, due to the fall-out with their captain, selectors, or personal reasons. Some of them made bad decisions at that moment and realized it too late. However, few of them have returned and graced the field with their presence and displayed their superlative performances.

<img class="size-full wp-image-413201" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Kevin-Pietersen-Test.jpg" alt="Kevin Pietersen Test" width="640" loading="lazy"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-413201" class="wp-caption-text">Kevin Pietersen. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The flamboyant batter, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/about-time-that-england-backs-his-talent-kevin-pietersen-bats-for-liam-livingstones-inclusion-in-test-team/">Kevin Pietersen</a> made his international debut in an ODI fixture against Zimbabwe in November 2004. A few months later, he had a terrific debut in the Test format, wherein he scored half-centuries in both the innings for England in the first Test of the 2005 Ashes. Eventually, he returned as the leading run-scorer in the series with 473 runs in 10 innings.

Pietersen led the England in Tests and ODIs in 2008-09 but resigned soon after his fall-out with the England Cricket Board (ECB). In the 2010 World Cup, he was the top scorer for the team with 248 runs in 6 innings, which helped the team to secure their first title victory. In 2012, he retired from the limited-overs cricket due to the text-message scandal and termed it a step to allow the youngsters to prepare themselves for the 2015 World Cup.

However, later in 2012, he reached an agreement with the ECB, which allowed him to return to the international team across all the formats. Pietersen last featured in England whites in the 2014 edition of Ashes. In 2018, the right-hander finally announced his retirement. In a total of 177 appearances, he scored over 13,000 runs, with 32 tons and 67 fifties.

<img class="size-full wp-image-618876" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Bhanuka-Rajapaksa.jpg" alt="Bhanuka Rajapaksa" width="640" loading="lazy"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-618876" class="wp-caption-text">Bhanuka Rajapaksa. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption>

One of the finest left-hand batters in the current group of probable players for the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/sri-lanka/">Sri Lanka</a> team, Bhanuka Rajapaksa has been an impressive performer in the international circuit. In 2019, he made his debut in the T20I format and played in his first ODI match in 2021. In eight matches of the T20 World Cup 2021, the southpaw garnered 155 runs at an average of 38.75.

On January 3 2022, Rajapaksa announced his retirement owing to his familial obligation, but it had been claimed he was unhappy with the selectors opting to keep him out of the squad due to the fitness issues. But, after 10 days, he took a U-turn and urged the Sri Lanka Cricket Board to withdraw his application, after the talk with Sports minister and national selectors.

Although he was not picked in the recent series against India and South Africa, he certainly can not be overlooked further after doing well in the IPL 2022. In seven innings, Rajapaksa has scored 201 runs at an average of 28.71, with a strike rate of 166.11.

<img class="size-full wp-image-490195" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shahid-Afridi-1.jpg" alt="Shahid Afridi" width="640" loading="lazy"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-490195" class="wp-caption-text">Shahid Afridi. (Photo by ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption>

Often hailed as ‘Lala’ by his fans, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/look-at-his-own-character-shahid-afridi-hits-back-at-danish-kaneria-after-serious-allegations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shahid Afridi</a> has been one of finest all-rounders, the world cricket has ever seen. He made his international debut in an ODI fixture against Zimbabwe in 1996, and then featured in his first Test match in 1998. Although he had a good start in Test format, he retired in 2006, but came back in a matter of few weeks. In 2010, he served as the captain of Pakistan against England, which was his last Test appearance, and finally hanged his boots from the red-ball format.

After the loss in the semi-finals against India in the 2011 World Cup, he was sacked from the leadership role, and as a result he decided to retire from international cricket in May 2011. But the all-rounder again made a comeback after five months and featured in a bilateral series against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

After an early exit of the Pakistan team in the 2015 World Cup, Afridi took his final retirement in the ODI format. He kept featuring in the T20 format, until 2016, and finally retired in 2017 from the shortest format as well. Across all three formats, he garnered over 10,000 runs and picked up more than 500 wickets.

<img class="size-full wp-image-198865" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CARL-HOOPER.jpg" alt="Carl Hooper" width="640" loading="lazy"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-198865" class="wp-caption-text">Carl Hooper plays a shot. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

The former captain of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/west-indies/">West Indies</a> team Carl Hooper made his ODI debut against New Zealand and was terrific to score 48 off 79 balls, which played a key role in the team’s victory. In his first Test match appearance in 1987, he scored a fighting 37 off 57 balls against India. He remained a key player in the middle-order for over a decade.

However, Hooper wanted to take some time-off from the cricket field ahead of the 1999 World Cup. citing the reason of the birth of his child, but the board could not allow him. Fastrack to 2001, he finally made his comeback, after he thought he had an abrupt ending and featured in both the formats.

He returned with strong performances as captain, and also led West Indies in the 2003 World Cup. But after a dismal performance from the team, he decided to call time on his career. In a total of 329 appearances across the Test and ODI format, Hooper finished with over 10,000 runs, including 20 tons.

<img class="size-full wp-image-227971" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Brendan-Taylor.jpg" alt="Brendan Taylor" width="640" loading="lazy"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-227971" class="wp-caption-text">Brendan Taylor. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

One of the legendary players in the Zimbabwe cricket played a key role to popularize the game in the country by his performances. In 2004 series against Sri Lanka, he made his ODI and T20I debut. After serving for 11 long years, he decided to retire from<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/zimbabwe/"> Zimbabwe</a> Cricket, which allowed him to play as a Kolpak player for the Nottinghamshire team in the County Cricket.

After the end of the Nottinghamshire contract in 2017, Taylor again made his way back to the Zimbabwe team. He went on to play across all the three formats until 2021, and returned with over 9000 runs in 284 matches, comprising 17 centuries.

In 2022, he was handed a three and a half years ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he accepted a breach of anti-corruption rules. This move would keep him out of any cricket roles until July 2025.

<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1688629143394_Tamim-Iqbal.jpeg" alt="Tamim Iqbal." loading="lazy"><lt-highlighter contenteditable="false" data-lt-linked="1" style="display: none;"><lt-div spellcheck="false" class="lt-highlighter__wrapper" style="width: 639.988px !important; height: 22.3843px !important; transform: none !important; transform-origin: 319.994px 11.1921px !important; zoom: 1 !important; margin-top: 408.588px !important;"><lt-div class="lt-highlighter__scroll-element" style="top: 0px !important; left: 0px !important; width: 639.988px !important; height: 22px !important;"></lt-div></lt-div></lt-highlighter><figcaption data-lt-tmp-id="lt-973861" spellcheck="false" data-gramm="false">Tamim Iqbal. (Photo Source : Twitter)</figcaption>

Whenever someone talks about the greats of Bangladesh cricket, Tamim Iqbal is one name that features at the top. The left-handed batter has been the poster boy of the Bangla Tigers ever since he donned the national jersey in 2007, making his ODI debut. With a string of impressive performances over the years, the left-handed opener broke and established several records before announcing his retirement on July 6, 2023.&nbsp;

The news of his retirement came as a shocker to the cricketing fraternity as he was supposed to lead the One-Day squad, with the ODI World Cup, 2023 only a few months away. After this announcement, the members of Bangladesh Cricket Board and even the national Prime Minister had a conversation with him the very next day, and advised him to come out of retirement and lead the team for the all-important ICC event in 2023, and Tamim obliged.

Till date, the left-handed opener has represented Bangladesh in 241 ODIs, 78 T20Is, and 70 Tests and has amassed over 15,000 runs collectively across formats. He also scored 94 half-centuries and 25 tons in this process. Notably, he is the first and only batter to score centuries in all three formats for his national side.

<lt-toolbar contenteditable="false" data-lt-adjust-appearance="true" data-lt-force-appearance="dark" style="display: none;"><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__wrapper" style="left: 718px; position: absolute !important; top: 5185px !important; bottom: auto !important; z-index: auto;"><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__extras"><lt-span class="lt-toolbar__disable-icon"><lt-comp-icon class="lt-icon--disable lt-icon--clickable" data-lt-prevent-focus="true"><lt-span class="lt-icon__icon lt-icon__disable"></lt-span></lt-comp-icon></lt-span><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__divider"></lt-div><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__premium-icon"></lt-div><lt-span class="lt-toolbar__rephrasing-icon"><lt-comp-icon class="lt-icon--rephrasing lt-icon--clickable" data-lt-prevent-focus="true"><lt-span class="lt-icon__icon lt-icon__rephrasing"></lt-span></lt-comp-icon></lt-span><lt-span class="lt-toolbar__rephrasing-icon lt-toolbar__rephrasing-icon--disabled lt-toolbar__rephrasing-icon--hidden"><lt-comp-icon class="lt-icon--rephrasing lt-icon--clickable" data-lt-prevent-focus="true"><lt-span class="lt-icon__icon lt-icon__rephrasing"></lt-span></lt-comp-icon></lt-span></lt-div><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__status-icon lt-toolbar__status-icon--has-no-errors" title=""></lt-div><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__premium-icon-dot lt-toolbar__premium-icon-dot--has-notification"></lt-div></lt-div></lt-toolbar>

Momentum, form, and fitness of a player in any sport play a key role for a sportsperson during his/her career. If these three attributes fall into one place, they can help the player to prolong their career. Apart from these attributes, the backing from the senior player or the selectors provides confidence to a certain player to do well for their respective team.
In the game of cricket, several cricketers have opted to take retirement, due to the fall-out with their captain, selectors, or personal reasons. Some of them made bad decisions at that moment and realized it too late. However, few of them have returned and graced the field with their presence and displayed their superlative performances.
<h3>1. Kevin Pietersen</h3>
<figure id="attachment_413201" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-413201" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-413201" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Kevin-Pietersen-Test.jpg" alt="Kevin Pietersen Test" width="425" height="594" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-413201" class="wp-caption-text">Kevin Pietersen. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
The flamboyant batter, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/about-time-that-england-backs-his-talent-kevin-pietersen-bats-for-liam-livingstones-inclusion-in-test-team/">Kevin Pietersen</a> made his international debut in an ODI fixture against Zimbabwe in November 2004. A few months later, he had a terrific debut in the Test format, wherein he scored half-centuries in both the innings for England in the first Test of the 2005 Ashes. Eventually, he returned as the leading run-scorer in the series with 473 runs in 10 innings.
Pietersen led the England in Tests and ODIs in 2008-09 but resigned soon after his fall-out with the England Cricket Board (ECB). In the 2010 World Cup, he was the top scorer for the team with 248 runs in 6 innings, which helped the team to secure their first title victory. In 2012, he retired from the limited-overs cricket due to the text-message scandal and termed it a step to allow the youngsters to prepare themselves for the 2015 World Cup.
However, later in 2012, he reached an agreement with the ECB, which allowed him to return to the international team across all the formats. Pietersen last featured in England whites in the 2014 edition of Ashes. In 2018, the right-hander finally announced his retirement. In a total of 177 appearances, he scored over 13,000 runs, with 32 tons and 67 fifties.
<h3>2. Bhanuka Rajapaksa</h3>
<figure id="attachment_618876" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-618876" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-618876" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Bhanuka-Rajapaksa.jpg" alt="Bhanuka Rajapaksa" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-618876" class="wp-caption-text">Bhanuka Rajapaksa. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption>
</figure>
One of the finest left-hand batters in the current group of probable players for the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/sri-lanka/">Sri Lanka</a> team, Bhanuka Rajapaksa has been an impressive performer in the international circuit. In 2019, he made his debut in the T20I format and played in his first ODI match in 2021. In eight matches of the T20 World Cup 2021, the southpaw garnered 155 runs at an average of 38.75.
On January 3 2022, Rajapaksa announced his retirement owing to his familial obligation, but it had been claimed he was unhappy with the selectors opting to keep him out of the squad due to the fitness issues. But, after 10 days, he took a U-turn and urged the Sri Lanka Cricket Board to withdraw his application, after the talk with Sports minister and national selectors.
Although he was not picked in the recent series against India and South Africa, he certainly can not be overlooked further after doing well in the IPL 2022. In seven innings, Rajapaksa has scored 201 runs at an average of 28.71, with a strike rate of 166.11.
<h3>3. Shahid Afridi</h3>
<figure id="attachment_490195" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-490195" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-490195" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shahid-Afridi-1.jpg" alt="Shahid Afridi" width="600" height="416" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-490195" class="wp-caption-text">Shahid Afridi. (Photo by ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
Often hailed as ‘Lala’ by his fans, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/look-at-his-own-character-shahid-afridi-hits-back-at-danish-kaneria-after-serious-allegations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shahid Afridi</a> has been one of finest all-rounders, the world cricket has ever seen. He made his international debut in an ODI fixture against Zimbabwe in 1996, and then featured in his first Test match in 1998. Although he had a good start in Test format, he retired in 2006, but came back in a matter of few weeks. In 2010, he served as the captain of Pakistan against England, which was his last Test appearance, and finally hanged his boots from the red-ball format.
After the loss in the semi-finals against India in the 2011 World Cup, he was sacked from the leadership role, and as a result he decided to retire from international cricket in May 2011. But the all-rounder again made a comeback after five months and featured in a bilateral series against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
After an early exit of the Pakistan team in the 2015 World Cup, Afridi took his final retirement in the ODI format. He kept featuring in the T20 format, until 2016, and finally retired in 2017 from the shortest format as well. Across all three formats, he garnered over 10,000 runs and picked up more than 500 wickets.
<h3>4. Carl Hooper</h3>
<figure id="attachment_198865" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-198865" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-198865" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CARL-HOOPER.jpg" alt="Carl Hooper" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-198865" class="wp-caption-text">Carl Hooper plays a shot. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
The former captain of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/west-indies/">West Indies</a> team Carl Hooper made his ODI debut against New Zealand and was terrific to score 48 off 79 balls, which played a key role in the team’s victory. In his first Test match appearance in 1987, he scored a fighting 37 off 57 balls against India. He remained a key player in the middle-order for over a decade.
However, Hooper wanted to take some time-off from the cricket field ahead of the 1999 World Cup. citing the reason of the birth of his child, but the board could not allow him. Fastrack to 2001, he finally made his comeback, after he thought he had an abrupt ending and featured in both the formats.
He returned with strong performances as captain, and also led West Indies in the 2003 World Cup. But after a dismal performance from the team, he decided to call time on his career. In a total of 329 appearances across the Test and ODI format, Hooper finished with over 10,000 runs, including 20 tons.
<h3>5. Brendan Taylor</h3>
<figure id="attachment_227971" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227971" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-227971" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Brendan-Taylor.jpg" alt="Brendan Taylor" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-227971" class="wp-caption-text">Brendan Taylor. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
One of the legendary players in the Zimbabwe cricket played a key role to popularize the game in the country by his performances. In 2004 series against Sri Lanka, he made his ODI and T20I debut. After serving for 11 long years, he decided to retire from<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/zimbabwe/"> Zimbabwe</a> Cricket, which allowed him to play as a Kolpak player for the Nottinghamshire team in the County Cricket.
After the end of the Nottinghamshire contract in 2017, Taylor again made his way back to the Zimbabwe team. He went on to play across all the three formats until 2021, and returned with over 9000 runs in 284 matches, comprising 17 centuries.
In 2022, he was handed a three and a half years ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he accepted a breach of anti-corruption rules. This move would keep him out of any cricket roles until July 2025.

<h3>6. Tamim Iqbal</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1688629143394_Tamim-Iqbal.jpeg" alt="Tamim Iqbal." width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption data-lt-tmp-id="lt-973861" data-gramm="false">Tamim Iqbal. (Photo Source : Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
Whenever someone talks about the greats of Bangladesh cricket, Tamim Iqbal is one name that features at the top. The left-handed batter has been the poster boy of the Bangla Tigers ever since he donned the national jersey in 2007, making his ODI debut. With a string of impressive performances over the years, the left-handed opener broke and established several records before announcing his retirement on July 6, 2023.&nbsp;
The news of his retirement came as a shocker to the cricketing fraternity as he was supposed to lead the One-Day squad, with the ODI World Cup, 2023 only a few months away. After this announcement, the members of Bangladesh Cricket Board and even the national Prime Minister had a conversation with him the very next day, and advised him to come out of retirement and lead the team for the all-important ICC event in 2023, and Tamim obliged.
Till date, the left-handed opener has represented Bangladesh in 241 ODIs, 78 T20Is, and 70 Tests and has amassed over 15,000 runs collectively across formats. He also scored 94 half-centuries and 25 tons in this process. Notably, he is the first and only batter to score centuries in all three formats for his national side.

Momentum, form, and fitness of a player in any sport play a key role for a sportsperson during his/her career. If these three attributes fall into one place, they can help the player to prolong their career. Apart from these attributes, the backing from the senior player or the selectors provides confidence to a certain player to do well for their respective team.
In the game of cricket, several cricketers have opted to take retirement, due to the fall-out with their captain, selectors, or personal reasons. Some of them made bad decisions at that moment and realized it too late. However, few of them have returned and graced the field with their presence and displayed their superlative performances.
<h3>1. Kevin Pietersen</h3>
<figure id="attachment_413201" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-413201" style="width: 640px;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-413201" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Kevin-Pietersen-Test.jpg" alt="Kevin Pietersen Test" width="640" loading="lazy">
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-413201" class="wp-caption-text">Kevin Pietersen. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
The flamboyant batter, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/about-time-that-england-backs-his-talent-kevin-pietersen-bats-for-liam-livingstones-inclusion-in-test-team/">Kevin Pietersen</a> made his international debut in an ODI fixture against Zimbabwe in November 2004. A few months later, he had a terrific debut in the Test format, wherein he scored half-centuries in both the innings for England in the first Test of the 2005 Ashes. Eventually, he returned as the leading run-scorer in the series with 473 runs in 10 innings.
Pietersen led the England in Tests and ODIs in 2008-09 but resigned soon after his fall-out with the England Cricket Board (ECB). In the 2010 World Cup, he was the top scorer for the team with 248 runs in 6 innings, which helped the team to secure their first title victory. In 2012, he retired from the limited-overs cricket due to the text-message scandal and termed it a step to allow the youngsters to prepare themselves for the 2015 World Cup.
However, later in 2012, he reached an agreement with the ECB, which allowed him to return to the international team across all the formats. Pietersen last featured in England whites in the 2014 edition of Ashes. In 2018, the right-hander finally announced his retirement. In a total of 177 appearances, he scored over 13,000 runs, with 32 tons and 67 fifties.
<h3>2. Bhanuka Rajapaksa</h3>
<figure id="attachment_618876" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-618876" style="width: 640px;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-618876" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Bhanuka-Rajapaksa.jpg" alt="Bhanuka Rajapaksa" width="640" loading="lazy">
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-618876" class="wp-caption-text">Bhanuka Rajapaksa. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption>
</figure>
One of the finest left-hand batters in the current group of probable players for the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/sri-lanka/">Sri Lanka</a> team, Bhanuka Rajapaksa has been an impressive performer in the international circuit. In 2019, he made his debut in the T20I format and played in his first ODI match in 2021. In eight matches of the T20 World Cup 2021, the southpaw garnered 155 runs at an average of 38.75.
On January 3 2022, Rajapaksa announced his retirement owing to his familial obligation, but it had been claimed he was unhappy with the selectors opting to keep him out of the squad due to the fitness issues. But, after 10 days, he took a U-turn and urged the Sri Lanka Cricket Board to withdraw his application, after the talk with Sports minister and national selectors.
Although he was not picked in the recent series against India and South Africa, he certainly can not be overlooked further after doing well in the IPL 2022. In seven innings, Rajapaksa has scored 201 runs at an average of 28.71, with a strike rate of 166.11.
<h3>3. Shahid Afridi</h3>
<figure id="attachment_490195" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-490195" style="width: 640px;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-490195" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shahid-Afridi-1.jpg" alt="Shahid Afridi" width="640" loading="lazy">
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-490195" class="wp-caption-text">Shahid Afridi. (Photo by ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
Often hailed as ‘Lala’ by his fans, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/look-at-his-own-character-shahid-afridi-hits-back-at-danish-kaneria-after-serious-allegations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shahid Afridi</a> has been one of finest all-rounders, the world cricket has ever seen. He made his international debut in an ODI fixture against Zimbabwe in 1996, and then featured in his first Test match in 1998. Although he had a good start in Test format, he retired in 2006, but came back in a matter of few weeks. In 2010, he served as the captain of Pakistan against England, which was his last Test appearance, and finally hanged his boots from the red-ball format.
After the loss in the semi-finals against India in the 2011 World Cup, he was sacked from the leadership role, and as a result he decided to retire from international cricket in May 2011. But the all-rounder again made a comeback after five months and featured in a bilateral series against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
After an early exit of the Pakistan team in the 2015 World Cup, Afridi took his final retirement in the ODI format. He kept featuring in the T20 format, until 2016, and finally retired in 2017 from the shortest format as well. Across all three formats, he garnered over 10,000 runs and picked up more than 500 wickets.
<h3>4. Carl Hooper</h3>
<figure id="attachment_198865" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-198865" style="width: 640px;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-198865" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CARL-HOOPER.jpg" alt="Carl Hooper" width="640" loading="lazy">
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-198865" class="wp-caption-text">Carl Hooper plays a shot. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
The former captain of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/west-indies/">West Indies</a> team Carl Hooper made his ODI debut against New Zealand and was terrific to score 48 off 79 balls, which played a key role in the team’s victory. In his first Test match appearance in 1987, he scored a fighting 37 off 57 balls against India. He remained a key player in the middle-order for over a decade.
However, Hooper wanted to take some time-off from the cricket field ahead of the 1999 World Cup. citing the reason of the birth of his child, but the board could not allow him. Fastrack to 2001, he finally made his comeback, after he thought he had an abrupt ending and featured in both the formats.
He returned with strong performances as captain, and also led West Indies in the 2003 World Cup. But after a dismal performance from the team, he decided to call time on his career. In a total of 329 appearances across the Test and ODI format, Hooper finished with over 10,000 runs, including 20 tons.
<h3>5. Brendan Taylor</h3>
<figure id="attachment_227971" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-227971" style="width: 640px;" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-227971" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Brendan-Taylor.jpg" alt="Brendan Taylor" width="640" loading="lazy">
<figcaption id="caption-attachment-227971" class="wp-caption-text">Brendan Taylor. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
One of the legendary players in the Zimbabwe cricket played a key role to popularize the game in the country by his performances. In 2004 series against Sri Lanka, he made his ODI and T20I debut. After serving for 11 long years, he decided to retire from<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/zimbabwe/"> Zimbabwe</a> Cricket, which allowed him to play as a Kolpak player for the Nottinghamshire team in the County Cricket.
After the end of the Nottinghamshire contract in 2017, Taylor again made his way back to the Zimbabwe team. He went on to play across all the three formats until 2021, and returned with over 9000 runs in 284 matches, comprising 17 centuries.
In 2022, he was handed a three and a half years ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he accepted a breach of anti-corruption rules. This move would keep him out of any cricket roles until July 2025.

<h3>6. Tamim Iqbal</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1688629143394_Tamim-Iqbal.jpeg" alt="Tamim Iqbal." loading="lazy"><lt-highlighter contenteditable="false" data-lt-linked="1" style="display: none;"><lt-div spellcheck="false" class="lt-highlighter__wrapper" style="width: 639.988px !important; height: 22.3843px !important; transform: none !important; transform-origin: 319.994px 11.1921px !important; zoom: 1 !important; margin-top: 408.588px !important;"><lt-div class="lt-highlighter__scroll-element" style="top: 0px !important; left: 0px !important; width: 639.988px !important; height: 22px !important;"></lt-div></lt-div></lt-highlighter>
<figcaption data-lt-tmp-id="lt-973861" spellcheck="false" data-gramm="false">Tamim Iqbal. (Photo Source : Twitter)</figcaption>
</figure>
Whenever someone talks about the greats of Bangladesh cricket, Tamim Iqbal is one name that features at the top. The left-handed batter has been the poster boy of the Bangla Tigers ever since he donned the national jersey in 2007, making his ODI debut. With a string of impressive performances over the years, the left-handed opener broke and established several records before announcing his retirement on July 6, 2023.&nbsp;
The news of his retirement came as a shocker to the cricketing fraternity as he was supposed to lead the One-Day squad, with the ODI World Cup, 2023 only a few months away. After this announcement, the members of Bangladesh Cricket Board and even the national Prime Minister had a conversation with him the very next day, and advised him to come out of retirement and lead the team for the all-important ICC event in 2023, and Tamim obliged.
Till date, the left-handed opener has represented Bangladesh in 241 ODIs, 78 T20Is, and 70 Tests and has amassed over 15,000 runs collectively across formats. He also scored 94 half-centuries and 25 tons in this process. Notably, he is the first and only batter to score centuries in all three formats for his national side.
<lt-toolbar contenteditable="false" data-lt-adjust-appearance="true" data-lt-force-appearance="dark" style="display: none;"><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__wrapper" style="left: 718px; position: absolute !important; top: 5185px !important; bottom: auto !important; z-index: auto;"><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__extras"><lt-span class="lt-toolbar__disable-icon"><lt-comp-icon class="lt-icon--disable lt-icon--clickable" data-lt-prevent-focus="true"><lt-span class="lt-icon__icon lt-icon__disable"></lt-span></lt-comp-icon></lt-span><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__divider"></lt-div><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__premium-icon"></lt-div><lt-span class="lt-toolbar__rephrasing-icon"><lt-comp-icon class="lt-icon--rephrasing lt-icon--clickable" data-lt-prevent-focus="true"><lt-span class="lt-icon__icon lt-icon__rephrasing"></lt-span></lt-comp-icon></lt-span><lt-span class="lt-toolbar__rephrasing-icon lt-toolbar__rephrasing-icon--disabled lt-toolbar__rephrasing-icon--hidden"><lt-comp-icon class="lt-icon--rephrasing lt-icon--clickable" data-lt-prevent-focus="true"><lt-span class="lt-icon__icon lt-icon__rephrasing"></lt-span></lt-comp-icon></lt-span></lt-div><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__status-icon lt-toolbar__status-icon--has-no-errors" title=""></lt-div><lt-div class="lt-toolbar__premium-icon-dot lt-toolbar__premium-icon-dot--has-notification"></lt-div></lt-div></lt-toolbar>

Momentum, form, and fitness of a player in any sport play a key role for a sportsperson during his/her career. If these three attributes fall into one place, they can help the player to prolong their

6 players who came out of retirement to play again

These players had the zeal to serve the country longer and hence changed their decision.

6 Players who announced international retirement and then made a comeback

5 Players who announced international retirement and then made a comeback

Here is the list of 6 players who announced international retirement and then made a comeback in international cricket.