Shahid Afridi To Mohammad Amir: Top Cricketers Who Made Comebacks After Retiring

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From Shahid Afridi to Mohammad Amir, several other players have also made a comeback to international cricket.

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Shahid Afridi: Fondly known as "Lala," experienced retirements in 2006, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2017, with comebacks in 2006, 2011, and 2016. Despite the frequent changes in his career, Afridi remained one of the most influential cricketers of the modern era. His all-round abilities on the field were unmatched, and there always seemed to be a spot for him in the team.

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Imran Khan: The legendary cricketer, initially decided to retire following Pakistan's defeat to Australia in the 1987 World Cup semi-final. However, he had a change of heart when President Zia-ul-Haq requested him to return to the national team. Imran ultimately retired five years later, having led Pakistan to a World Cup victory.

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Javagal Srinath: The former Indian fast bowler departed the Caribbean in 2002, certain that he had played his final Test. However, Sourav Ganguly wasn’t ready to let him go. Ganguly persuaded Srinath to come out of retirement, allowing him to play three more Tests and lead India's bowling attack during the 2003 World Cup, where the team finished as runners-up.

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Javed Miandad: After being dropped from the team in 1994, Pakistan's batting legend, Javed Miandad, decided to retire from cricket. "No Miandad, No Cricket," cried the fans, prompting the country’s Prime Minister at the time, Benazir Bhutto, to convince the maestro to reconsider. Miandad agreed, but it wasn’t until 1996 that he returned to represent Pakistan.

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Kevin Pietersen: Pietersen was one of the early advocates of playing in franchise leagues around the world. When he announced his retirement from international limited-overs cricket just four months before the 2012 World T20, it came as a shock to England cricket. However, less than 60 days later, Pietersen stated that he would never rule out a comeback. True to his word, he returned to play eight more ODIs and a T20I for England.

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Mohammad Amir: Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Amir retired in 2020, only to make a comeback after a hiatus of three and a half years but yet again he retired from cricket.

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Moeen Ali: Moeen Ali retired from Test cricket in 2021, but was called back into action ahead of the 2023 Ashes when Jack Leach was ruled out. His return to the format saw him surpass 200 wickets, two years after retiring just five wickets shy of the milestone.