Top international cricketers who made comeback after announcing retirement

Less than a week after announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket, former India batter Manoj Tiwary on Tuesday said he has decided to reverse his decision and wants to give one more try to win the elusive Ranji Trophy title with Bengal.

Let’s have a look at some of the international cricketers who made a comeback after retirement…

Bob Simpson

Bob Simpson retired from international cricket in 1968 after representing Australia in 52 Tests. However, he returned to international cricket again in 1977. Almost a decade after his retirement, Simpson captained the national team at the age of 42 against India. 

Imran Khan

The charismatic Pakistan all-rounder announced his first retirement following the 1987 World Cup. However, Pakistan President Zia-Ul-Haq persuaded him to make a comeback. He came back from his retirement in style by leading Pakistan to victory in the 1992 World Cup.

Javed Miandad

Javed Miandad is considered the greatest batsman of Pakistan. Miandad also made a comeback from retirement within a span of just 10 days after being asked by the then Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to play for the team until the 1996 World Cup. 

Carl Hooper

The former West Indies skipper shocked the world by announcing his retirement just three weeks before the 1999 World Cup. However, he made a surprising comeback in 2001 and led the team in 2003 World Cup.

Grant Flower

When Heath Streak was removed as the captain of the Zimbabwe cricket team in 2004, Grant Flower announced his retirement along with 13 other players. However, Grant made a surprising return to the Zimbabwe team in 2010. But, he ended his international career in the same year due to poor form.

Steve Tikolo

Tikolo is considered as the best Kenyan cricketer. He initially retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup. However, he was called back by the Kenyan cricket board in 2013 at the age of 42. His last international match was against Netherlands on January 23, 2014.

Kevin Pietersen

The aggressive English batter surprised everyone by announcing his retirement from limited-overs cricket in 2011. However, after a few months, he made a comeback. His relationship with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been strained.

Shahid Afridi

Pakistan all-rounder Afridi first announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2006 but came back in 2010. He retired from One-Day Internationals (ODIs) following the 2011 World Cup, citing differences with coach Waqar Younis. However, he made a comeback to the ODI side later in 2011 and played until the 2015 World Cup.

Dwayne Bravo

The West Indies all-rounder initially retired from international cricket in 2018. However, he came out of retirement in 2020 to play in the T20I series against Ireland.

Brendan Taylor

The Zimbabwean cricketer announced his retirement from international cricket in 2015. However, he made a remarkable comeback to the national team in 2017.

Tamim Iqbal

Tamim Iqbal decided to withdraw his retirement this year a day after announcing it in emotional circumstances in Chattogram. Iqbal changed his mind following an intervention by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.