5 Players Who May Retire From Cricket After Asia Cup 2018

Going around the cricketing fraternity, there are several players who have been the flag-bearers of their national teams in the past but can't seem to find a playing XI spot, nowadays.

Despite the tons of experience that they carry, they are either unable to put up a streak of consistent performances or their progress is highly stunted by ever-growing injuries and scandalous controversies.

In this piece, we take a look at some of these subcontinental players that may call it quits to International Cricket after the upcoming, much-anticipated Asia Cup has concluded.

---

#1 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh is a highly glorified name in Indian Cricket who is internationally renowned for his heroics on several cricketing instances. He is an experienced campaigner who has been around the national team for quite long and was once known for his explosive style of batting.

Since the last 14 months, though, the all-rounder from Chandigarh hasn’t fared well. His stints in both International and Domestic Cricket have been marred with inconsistency. Yuvraj had a dismal outing in the recent edition of IPL where he failed to make a mark with substantial returns.

Yuvraj is not expected to be considered for India’s Asia Cup squad given the highly competitive nature of the pool of contenders for the tournament. Thus, it remains a possibility that the 36-year-old may decide to call off the curtains after the event ends.

#2 Lasith Malinga

A fast-bowling legend for Sri Lanka, Lasith Malinga is one of the few players from subcontinent that may call it curtains after the upcoming Asia Cup ends. Known for his sizzling yorkers and treacherous slower-balls, Malinga is an exalted champion of limited-overs (2nd highest wicket-taker in T20I Cricket).

The 34-year-old speedster has been around the national side for nearly one and a half decade. However, in recent years, his progress has been plagued by newly-materializing injuries because of which not only his fitness has deteriorated but his effectiveness in the shorter formats has also depleted.

With the emergence of new Sri Lankan pacers and nothing to look forward to, apart from the World Cup, next year, there is a daunting possibility that the Sri Lankan may bid adieu after the Asia Cup finishes.

#3 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh is an acclaimed Indian off-spinner with a plethora of experience and cricketing pride under his belt. Although he hasn’t been around the national team for quite a while now, the 38-year-old is still hopeful of a comeback as he hasn’t announced his retirement just yet.

To put his achievements into numbers, Singh is the 5th leading wicket-taker for India in ODIs and 3rd highest wicket-taker for them in the longest format of the game. He recently featured for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and racked up impressive performances under MS Dhoni’s leadership.

But the fact that even the likes of Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are finding it utterly difficult to cement their ODI spots due to exceptional performances shown by Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, it’s highly likely that Harbhajan may not get his wish fulfilled and may decide to hang his boots without featuring for India again.

#4 Mohammad Hafeez

Mohammad Hafeez is a celebrated Pakistani all-rounder and, arguably, one of the finest of this modern age. To put into perspective, he has remained the No.1 All-rounder as well as the No.1 Bowler in limited-overs Cricket for a pretty long time.

The 37-year, though, has had his fair share of sheer bad luck and frustrating cricketing spells. Twice or thrice, he has been reported for an illegal bowling action. He recently returned to the national side after completing a one-year bowling ban.

Due to a couple of lean performances, however, he remained out of the playing XI throughout the recently-concluded Zimbabwe series. Following this, the 37-year-old has also been demoted in the central contracts’ categories: a decision that hasn’t amused Hafeez a wee bit.

According to reports, Hafeez is considering “foreign” options provided his central contract is not reformulated. Even if it is reevaluated and the veteran is selected for the Asia Cup, there are chances that he may hang his boots once Asia Cup concludes.

A lot of youngsters have stormed the national team and for the experienced campaigners to stay in selectors’ interests, they really need to put up consistently effective performances and make handy contributions to an ever-rising team.

#5 Mashrafe Mortaza

Mashrafe Mortaza is, undoubtedly, one of the few faces behind Bangladesh Cricket’s renaissance. A sagacious leader and a gallant fighter, he has led the Asian side to several new highs during his tenure.

Despite being in the twilight of his career and marred with constantly surfacing knee injuries, Mortaza continues to lead the team in ODI Cricket. The once swing-only bowler has now shortened his run-up by a hefty margin to focus more on accuracy and control. The Bangladeshi skipper is also renowned for throwing the kitchen sink in an uncanny yet effective manner while batting lower down the order.

He’ll be raring to feature till next year’s mega-event but in light of his injuries and the ageing factor, Mortaza might announce his retirement after the tournament. He just might be hoping for a Bangladesh victory at the Asia Cup that will serve as a perfect swansong for him.