This raises the question: when, and how, does a champion player decide it's time to go? Bumrah's guided missiles take less than a second to reach the batsman—in that brief moment, the batsman has to decide whether to play or leave, defend or look to score. But about retirement, players have all the time in the world to think, though it's never easy to slip into an uncertain afterlife.
Recently, some greats have done that. When Tim Southee ended a fantastic career, the England team gave him a cricket "guard of honour". Before that, Jimmy Anderson and David Warner retired in somewhat similar circumstances. Anderson's farewell was on a gorgeous sunlit morning at Lord's. The Test ended before lunch on Day 3 but an almost full house waited respectfully till mid-afternoon to celebrate the extraordinary career (188 Tests, 704 wickets) of England's greatest. Warner's last dance was at Sydney, his home ground, ending a spectacular 15-year-old career that brought him 20,000 international runs and 48 hundreds.
Anderson and Warner were allowed a grand departure, their final Test appearance announced in advance to give them a dignified exit in front of adoring fans. Both, however, were gently nudged into retirement.
This story is from the December 20, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times Thane.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 20, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times Thane.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Tiger and Charlie hit five straight birdies, share lead
Tiger Woods and 15-year-old son Charlie ran off five straight birdies on the back nine for a 13-under 59 in the scramble format, giving them a share of the lead in the PNC Championship in Woods' first competition since back surgery in September.
Smriti, Renuka sparkle as India crush WI by 211 runs
The opener's 91 helps pile on the runs in 1st ODI before Renuka's fifer bundles out WI
Big win for Liverpool, Everton hold Chelsea
Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a dominant but chaotic 6-3 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday thanks to doubles from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.
Atletico seal late win at Barca, top La Liga
Atletico Madrid came from behind to snatch a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Barcelona and claim leadership of La Liga on Saturday.
Lenders auction more gold as Reserve Bank steps up scrutiny
Companies lending against gold are auctioning the collateral in higher quantities to recover stressed loans, at a time of rising regulatory scrutiny over the sector.
DAMANI NIXES BAT PICK FOR CHAIR OF VST INDUSTRIES
Top billionaire investor and D-Mart promoter Radhakishan Damani opposed the candidate for chairmanship proposed by British American Tobacco (BAT) for its Indian unit VST Industries Ltd, leading to his rejection at a shareholder vote, according to voting disclosures and an executive privy to the development.
Dozen auto firms set to be excluded from PLI scheme
These automobile companies have not been able to start investing as planned
Apex auto tester looks to accelerate to green lane
India's primary vehicle research and testing body plans to expand facilities that are focused on so-called new energy vehicles, seeking to keep pace with the government's rapidly accelerating green mobility drive.
Pakistan govt forms panel for talks with ex-PM Khan's party
The Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government, on Sunday, formed a negotiation committee to start formal talks with jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party after it threatened to give a call for civil disobedience.
Trudeau under fire; liberals eye Freeland
Pressure continues to mount on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to quit, even as a movement is afoot within the ruling Liberal Party caucus for him to be replaced by Chrystia Freeland, who was Deputy PM and Finance Minister till her bombshell resignation, on Monday.