It was a packed international cricket calendar in 2023, the year which saw Australia clinch their record-extending sixth ODI World Cup by beating India in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19 (Sunday). However, with the year coming to an end, here is a look at a few star cricketers who announced their retirement from at least one or all formats of international cricket. The list includes World Cup winners and some renowned names of the sport with several records to their name in the international cricketing circle.
Stuart Broad
Veteran England fast bowler Stuart Broad is one big name that won’t be seen in international cricket anymore. The right-arm speedster, a veteran of over 600 Test wickets, announced in advance that Ashes 2023 was going to be his international series. While Broad bid adieu to international cricket at 37, someone he made a threatening pace bowling duo with James Anderson, continues to ply his trade for the Thee Lions at 41 and has 690 Test wickets.
Quinton De Kock
Another star international cricketer who will now only be seen in T20Is is Quinton De Kock. The South African wicketkeeper-batter stunned the cricketing world when he announced his decision to retire from ODIs at 30. While he had earlier quit Test cricket, his decision to leave the 50-overs game at the highest level despite being in good form as evident in his last international assignment- the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 where he scored 594 runs but chose to withdraw anyway. De Kock retires after 155 ODIs in which he accumulated 6770 runs.
Sunil Narine
Star West Indies all-rounder Sunil Narine also announced his retirement from international cricket in 2023. Narine played 6 Tests, 65 ODIs and 51 T20Is in international cricket but left an indelible mark especially in limited-overs cricket. He will, however, continue to ply his trade in leagues around the world including the IPL where he played a major role in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) winning the league in 2012 and 2014. Narine also played a crucial role on helping West Indies bag their T20 World Cup title in 2012, their first world title since the 1979 World Cup.
Meg Lanning
Meg Lanning, the star Australian cricketer, also bid a farewell to international cricket in 2023. Her illustrious career saw her win as many as seven World Cup titles (two ICC Women’s World Cup, five ICC Women’s T20 World Cup) during her career lasting 241 matches. She retired with over 8,000 international runs to her credit and made her name as an accomplished leader in white-ball cricket.
Alex Hales
England’s Alex Hales also announced his retirement from international cricket this year. Hales last memorable knock at the international stage came at the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal against India where he slammed an unbeaten 47-ball 86 to take the team into the finals which they later went on to win. Hales had missed out on being part of the 2019 World Cup-winning England squad after failing a recreational drugs test and losing the trust of the then captain Eoin Morgan who dropped him from the team. Hales retired after having featured in 11 Test matches, 70 ODIs and 75 T20Is.