In sync with the tradition of this blog where I used to write on the great cricketers when they retired, it seems only fair that I start my ventures on writing again in a season when quite a few players are retiring. Some of them absolute legends and some of them whose numbers do not match up to the greats of the game, but have left an indelible mark in the minds of those who watch the game keenly enough.
The 2015 Ashes sees the retirement of one of the modern day great Micheal Clarke whose great batting has pleased us all. But more than his batting, is the battered man with a bad back, a team devoid of the legends of the past and to still manage to win the world cup is what makes him special. Watching him on his debut score that masterful 153 in India made it evident that this was no ordinary batsman. In the modern day cricket of unimaginative test captaincy, Clarke was a breath of fresh air, one that made for great viewing as a neutral.
Two other men finish their careers at this year’s Ashes, Ryan Harris and Chris Rogers, two late bloomers who finish with 27 and 25 test matches respectively. Both battle-hardened men had great fight in them, Harris epitome of playing through pain as demonstrated in South Africa with a brilliant spell, bowling with a broken knee to take the Aussies to a win. Rogers was steady without being spectacular, exhibiting a school of batting that are on it’s last few practitioners.
It is also difficult to see Brad Haddin make a return to the fold again at the age of 37. As a keeper he had the unenviable job of filling into the boots of Adam Gilchrist, the man who changed the definition of the modern day wicketkeeper, but Haddin was up to the task. Often the man in a crisis, Haddin’s best came in times of need which makes him so special.
The talk about keepers brings to the other legend retiring in this season the colossal Kumar Sangakkara, but the article is getting long and hence will continue in my next post.