The cricket world has witnessed the announcement of three high-profile retirements over the past fortnight. Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez and New Zealand’s veteran batsman Ross Taylor are both stepping away from international cricket, whilst South Africa’s Qinton de Kock has decided to focus solely on the limited overs format to free up time for his young family.
All three prolific match-winners leave behind some impressive batting records and it remains to be seen whether their teams will miss their big presence on the field.
Hafeez calls time on glittering career
41-year old Hafeez played in 55 Tests, 218 one-day internationals and 119 Twenty20 internationals for his country, last appearing in November’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat by Australia.The all-rounder scored 12,780 runs and took 253 wickets across all three formats. He skippered the team in 29 Twenty20 matches as well as once at Test level and twice in ODIs.
Hafeez made his international debut in 2003 and later would go on to top the International Cricket Council’s rankings for bowlers and all-rounders in 2012 and 2013. This was the period in which he captained the T20 side, before being ranked the top T20 all-rounder in March 2014.
After being banned from bowling on several occasions after being reported for having an illegal bowling action, Hafeez remodeled his action to become a specialist in the fast-paced 20-over format of the game.
His last match in Pakistan colours was the World Cup 2021 semi-final defeat to Australia when he came in to bat at the very end of the innings and finished unbeaten on one run off one ball.
Hafeez will continue to play in the Pakistan Super League and other franchise tournaments.
Taylor’s end is nearing
Whilst Hafeez calls time on his international career immediately, New Zealand batter Ross Taylor will end his career following their summer series currently in play.
The 37-year-old is his country’s leading run-scorer in Tests and one-day internationals and has the most runs for the Black Caps across all formats. He is currently involved in the two-match Test series with Bangladesh which ends next week – the final Test action of his career. Then his final appearances for the Black Caps will be six ODIs against Australia and the Netherlands across March and April.
With Taylor’s batting expertise New Zealand are currently fourth in the Test rankings and are 1/12 odds-on to clinch another series victory that could lift them above an under-performing England. You can compare best sportsbook deposit match offers to back a convincing home win and also to check whether their fortunes are tipped to change once Taylor leaves the field for good.
The limited overs team will certainly hope they can find a suitable replacement for the loss of his stellar record – Australia are already favourites at 4/7 with the bookies to win the the ODI series in March and this could be exacerbated with Taylor’s retirement. Added to the fact that Australia are currently smashing it in the Ashes, which they’re 8/13 to win it in a clear 5-0 sweep, this will be a tough task for a New Zealand team losing one of their best.
Ending a tremendous cricket career spanning 16 years, Taylor has been the centrepiece of the Kiwis’ batting order since his international debut in 2006, maintaining the record for most runs scored in all three formats – over 18,000.
His 445 appearances for the Black Caps are also the most of any player – he is just one of four players to play more than 100 Tests, as well as 233 ODIs and 102 T20s. He was part of the side that reached the 50-over World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019 and scored the winning runs as New Zealand beat India to win the World Test Championship in June.
“It’s been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have,” Taylor said.
“But all good things must come to an end and the timing feels right for me.”
de Kock takes a break from Test cricket
Finally, the third of the big name retirees is South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock. The 29-year old is expecting his first child soon and has decided to retire from Test cricket to spend more time with his family.
“This is not a decision that I have come to very easily,” he said after South Africa’s 113-run defeat by India recently.
“My family is everything to me and I want to have the time and space to be able to be with them during this new and exciting chapter of our lives.”
De Kock made his Test debut in 2014 and scored 3,300 runs at an average of 38.82, scoring six centuries and 22 fifties in 54 matches.
His first century came at the same ground he played his last Test – SuperSport Park – when he scored 129* at No. 7 as South Africa beat England by 280 runs in 2016. He went on to score a match-winning hundred in Hobart later that year, which helped South Africa to a third successive series win in Australia. He averaged 63.18 in 2016, his best in a calendar year.
He captained the side in four Tests in 2021, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, with a 50% win record. South Africa beat Sri Lanka 2-0 at home but lost in Pakistan by the same margin.
Committing to continue in the limited overs format de Kock, who created a storm of controversy over anti-racism gestures last year, said: “I’ve enjoyed the ups and the downs, the celebrations and even the disappointments, but now I’ve found something that I love even more.
“I’m fully committed to white-ball cricket and representing my country to the best of my ability for the foreseeable future. See you in the ODIs and T20s!”
