2011 Midyear Retirements – Departing legends from the World of Cricket – Part 1
They came, they played and they conquered!
Their fans and teammates will miss them, but for their opponents, their depature will surely bring a sigh of relief.
2011 seemed to be a memorable year for the Sri Lankans as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Muralitharan-c1864, the two finest cricketing icons of the country, announced farewell to the game of cricket.
The two retirements came soon after the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Muralitharan called off his international career after http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013, in the ongoing Sri Lankan tour of England 2011.
This abstract looks into the cricketing career for both the players and their achievements in the sport.
Sanath Jayasuriya
Jayasuriya, almost 42, has always put up a remarkable show with the bat and ball. As an international player, a former team captain, and most importantly, a world class all rounder, Jayasuriya has captivated the hearts of many.
Sanath Jayasuriya made his first appearance in an ODI in 1989 against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, while his Test debut came a couple years later against the Kiwis.
Experts cite Jayasuriya as one of the best all rounders in the history of cricket. He has scored over 13000 runs in ODIs and securde more than 300 wickets.
As his career progressed, Jayasuriya achieved remarkable milestones that earned him numerous awards and recognitions. He still holds the record for scoring the fastest fifty in a one day match, held the record for fastest hundred (after the record was taken over by Afridi) and the only player after http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sachin-Ramesh-Tendulkar-c87800 to have 4 ODI scores over 150.
After a long break from ODIs, Jayasuriya’s exclusion from the 2011 World Cup matches as well, turned out to be quite disappointing for the Lankan.
However, the player claimed delight after being selected for Sri Lanka’s tour to England where he played the final games of his international cricketing career.
The player now http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Matthew-Jonathan-Walker-c75220 out proud to pursue his career in politics.
He has played a total of 445 ODI matches, 110 Tests and 31 T20 games.
Sanath Jayasuriya’s widespread career has earned him an outstanding goodwill amongst experts, team-mates and his fans all across the globe.
Muttiah Muralitharan
After playing his final and most memorable Test match in 2010, Muralitharan announced his retirement from the format while his exit from the ODI came recently, after the 2011 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 Cricket World Cup.
The greatest off-spinner in history of cricket made his Test debut in 1992, against Australia, while his ODI premier came a year later against the Indians.
Muralitharan is regarded as the most successful and greatest wicket taker in both Test cricket and ODI.
In 2009, Muralitharan surpassed http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shane-Keith-Warne-c89672’s record and became the highest wicket taker for the format.
Muralitharan reached his cricketing milestone in 1997 after becoming the first Sri Lankan to reach 100 Test wickets.
In the following year, the spinner produced his career best figures of 16 wickets for 220 runs in a Test game against England. While in 2004, he became the fastest and youngest bowler to reach 500 wickets in Test cricket.
In his last year’s final Test game, Muralitharan delivered a memorable performance after the spinner secured 8 wickets to reach the coveted 800 mark.
Muralitharan’s international career lasted for almost two decades and included 350 ODIs with 534 wickets and 133 Tests with 800 wickets.
Despite his retirement from international cricket, Muralitharan plans to carry on with domestic cricket after the player declared his 2-year contract with the IPL.
Tags: