2015 saw some respected names of the game calling it a day and hanging their boots. The likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Michael Clarke to name a few, bid adieu to international cricket. The presence of these icons surely made the sport a far richer fraternity and the void left by their retirement might never be filled. As we head into another year, viewers brace themselves for some unadulterated and high-octane cricket action.
The ICC event lined up for 2016 is the ICC World T20, scheduled to be played in India across March and April. The marquee event will definitely attract a lot of attention and teams already have set their sights on the coveted trophy. However, the irony of the game is that with every passing day, the players tend to get fatigued and worn out. Thus like any other previous year, one can expect numerous retirements in 2016 as well. Players might not retire from international cricket altogether but might withdraw themselves from a particular format.
Below, we list down five international cricketers, who are likely to retire in 2016. A point worth noting is that New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum has not been included since he has already announced his retirement.
1. MS Dhoni: India’s most successful captain, in all probability will announce his exit from the international arena after the World T20 next year. Dhoni has been contemplating retirement for quite some time now and has already retired from test cricket. 2015 by no means was a great year for Captain Cool. Dhoni failed to win even a single series in 2015, though, under his leadership, India made it to the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup. With his personal form too taking a hit, it would not be surprising at all if he hangs up his boots after the T20 World Cup.
2. Tillakaratne Dilshan: Dilshan has been an underrated great for Sri Lankan cricket. After the departure of batting legend Sanath Jayasuriya, Dilshan has made that opening slot his own. He has quietly gone on to achieve significant milestones for Sri Lanka; including the 10000 ODI runs mark. Dilshan has been a vital cog behind Sri Lanka’s fantastic run in ICC events. His 22 ODI centuries too have come just at the right time for Sri Lanka. Already 39 years of age, it is a no-brainer to state that retirement is soon around the corner. He is likely to call it quits in 2016.
3. AB De Villiers: Recently, there was a massive furor in the international fraternity when De Villiers said that he wanted to reduce his workload. No one can deny the fact that De Villiers is an overworked individual. In his absence, South Africa is a poor ODI unit away from home. The series loss to Bangladesh is an example of that statement. In India as well, De Villiers was the driving force behind South Africa’s triumphant campaign. In the upcoming year, De Villiers might call it quits from T20I cricket. Considering his significance in the South African unit, De Villiers won’t withdraw from all forms at once, but in 2016, he might retire from any one format.
4. Ashish Nehra: Recently, a lot of eyebrows were raised when Ashish Nehra was recalled to India’s T20I squad on the basis of a fantastic 2015 IPL. Nehra at 36, has fitness issues and that have plagued him throughout his career. As a matter of fact, Nehra is not even a regular member for his domestic side. The T20 World Cup in India could be his final outing in international cricket before retiring.
5. Dale Steyn: Steyn is a modern day legend and very few can logically argue that. However, off late, Steyn’s career has been ravaged by several injuries. He missed the last three tests against India and in the first test against England, he injured his shoulder. His commitment towards his team can never be questioned, but with every passing day, there are signs of fatigue. Steyn, in a bid to prolong his test career, might retire from limited overs. Considering that South Africa have a healthy bowling stock for limited overs in Rabada, Morkel, Abbott, De Lange; Steyn might indeed call it quits from limited overs.