7 cricketers who retired at a young age

Ben Stokes announced his retirement from one-day cricket on Monday in order to focus on his role as England Test captain. 

In the past, many cricketers have retired at a very young age, an age at which most cricketers reach maturity. 

Mathew Hayden famously stated-“I was told cricketers know when the right time is to stop playing. When you are thinking about retiring, you’ve already retired.”

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Here’s a list of 7 players who retired at a very young age-

1) Zafar Ansari – 25 Years

Zafar Ansari, an England all-rounder who also played for Surrey (county in South East England), announced his retirement at the age of 25. When announcing his surprise retirement, the youngster stated that he had plans outside of cricket. Ansari only appeared in one ODI and three Tests for his country.

2)James Taylor – 26 Years

Due to a serious heart condition, England batsman James Taylor was compelled to retire at the age of 26. While announcing his retirement Taylor shared a picture of himself in the Intensive Care Unit and penned-“It’s safe to say this has been the most difficult week of my life!” My world is turned upside down. But I’m here to stay and I’m battling on!”

Taylor scored 887 runs in ODIs at a solid average of 42. He also appeared in seven Tests for England, scoring 312 runs at an average of 26.

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3)Craig Kieswetter – 27 Years

Craig Kieswetter, 27, retired due to an eye injury. He was named man-of-the-match in the 2010 T20 World Cup final against Australia. Kieswetter was reportedly hit in the face by a ball that went through his helmet while playing against Northamptonshire, breaking his nose and damaging his eye socket.

4)Beau Casson – 28 Years

Beau Casson, who only played one Test for Australia, had to retire at the age of 28 due to a heart condition. His only Test appearance came against the West Indies, and he played 53 first-class matches. Casson, according to espncricinfo, has Tetralogy of Fallot, a heart condition that necessitated surgery at a young age.

5)Tatenda Taibu – 29 Years

Tatenda Taibu, a regular in Zimbabwe’s batting order, retired at the age of 29. He served as Zimbabwe’s flag bearer for many years before retiring to devote his time to the church. Taibu, at the age of 21, became the youngest Test captain. The wicket-keeper batsman averaged around 30 across formats in 28 Tests, 150 ODIs, and 17 T20Is.

His career lasted 11 years, and he also played for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In addition to being the youngest Test captain in history, he was Zimbabwe’s second most successful wicket-keeper after Andy Flower.

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6)Ben Stokes- 31 years

Ben Stokes, England’s star all-rounder, announced his retirement from ODI cricket at the age of 31. Stokes was recently named England’s Test captain. In his lengthy statement on Twitter, the all-rounder stated that playing all three formats is not sustainable. 

He wrote – Three formats are just unsustainable for me now. Not only do I feel that my body is letting me down because of the schedule and what is expected of us, but I also feel that I am taking the place of another player who can give Jos and the rest of the team their all. It’s time for someone else to progress as a cricketer and make incredible memories like I have over the past 11 years.

7)AB de Villiers- 34 years

When AB de Villiers announced his retirement in 2018, the cricketing world was taken aback because he was still at the top of his game. His sensational batting helped South Africa defeat both India and Australia at home in 2018, and the 34-year-old also had a great IPL season before retiring, citing “I am tired.”