Ben Stokes is the most recent cricket player to postpone retirement in a recent spate
In the summer of 2022, England's Test captain Ben Stokes surprised the world by announcing his retirement from ODI cricket. Now, he has essentially done the same thing by re-joining the team in time for the 2023 ODI World Cup. It is simply the most recent in a string of retirements that have been postponed in recent months by notable cricketers at the international and lower levels for a variety of reasons.Reversing retirements in cricket is nothing new. One of the most well-known examples is Imran Khan, who came out of retirement to lead Pakistan to the World Cup triumph in 1992. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has reversed international retirements several times, while Dwayne Bravo is another well-known example, having retired from international cricket in 2018 only to return to the West Indies T20 side in 2019 before retiring for real in 2021. However, these incidents occurred years apart, and Stokes is not the only England player to come out of retirement in the previous three months. Let's look at some of the most notable cases from the recent wave of un-retirements.The decision to retire by Ben Stokes led to a heated discussion regarding the future of ODI cricket. However, Stokes himself had stated that playing in all three formats is "just unsustainable" for him. Stokes had just recently been named England's Test captain, and the side was shattering conventional wisdom when it came to batting in the longest format. However, at the conclusion of The Ashes this year, rumours surfaced that Stokes would just change his mind in an effort to support England's World Cup title defence. Stokes was the unsung hero of the 2019 World Cup, and sure enough, he was named to the England team's preliminary World Cup roster. As previously mentioned, Stokes isn't even the first English player to come out of retirement in the past three months. That honour belongs to fellow all-rounder Moeen Ali, who stepped down from the longest format following India's cancelled tour in September 2021. Following a chat with coach Brendon McCullum in June 2022, he later stated that he wants to be a part of the England team that tours Pakistan in December. Moeen stated he did not wish to return for the Test series, despite having led England to a 4-3 T20I series victory in Pakistan in October 2022. In order to fill in for the injured Jack Leach, he did return in whites for the Ashes this year. In front of a throng of reporters in Chattogram, Tamim Iqbal, one of Bangladesh's finest batsmen and the team's current ODI captain, said a tearful farewell. This occurred just one day after they were defeated by Bangladesh in the opening of a three-match ODI series, and only three months before the 2023 World Cup. "It was not an impulsive choice. I was considering the many explanations. I won't disclose it here," he declared. The country's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met with him, together with former captain Mashrafe Mortaza and BCB president Nazmul Hassan, to discuss whatever issues he didn't mention in the past day.
When Tamim announced that he was withdrawing his retirement the very next day, there wasn't a tear in his eye or a scowl on his face. "I can refuse anyone, but I can't refuse the most important person in the nation. While Papon bhai [Hassan] was here, Mashrafe bhai called me. They played major roles [in the turnaround]. The Prime Minister also granted me a respite of 1.5 months. I'll finish my treatment and get back to playing cricket," he declared.
Although there was rumour that Bhanuka Rajapaksha took his move after new fitness requirements were revealed, he had cited "familial obligations" as a major reason when making his shocking announcement of his early retirement from international cricket in 2022. In 2021, Rajapaksha and the national team's head coach Micky Arthur had a falling out over Rajapaksha's lack of fitness. After that, Rajapaksha put in a lot of effort to get back on the squad. SLC soon after established harsher fitness benchmarks beginning in 2022. Following his discussion with Namal Rajapaksa, the sports minister of Sri Lanka, Rajapaksha quickly changed his mind. Following a meeting with the Hon. Bhanuka Rajapaksa has informed SLC that he desires to withdraw his resignation, which he offered to SLC on January 3, 2022, with immediate effect, and after conferring with the national selectors, according to an SLC media statement.Manoj Tiwary's choice had a greater impact on Indian domestic cricket than it did on international cricket, in contrast to the other players on this list. On August 4, Tiwary, the current sports minister for the West Bengal state, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. But four days later, he claimed that he had an agreement to play in the Ranji Trophy for an additional year with Cricket Association of Bengal head Snehasish Ganguly. I talked to my wife, and she persuaded me as well. She recalled that I served as captain last year when Bengal advanced to the Ranji Trophy final. After Raj da finished speaking to me, I gave it some thought and decided to return. Many of my fans wrote to me and urged me to change my mind," he stated. In July 2015, Tiwary participated in an ODI for India.