3 popular players who withdrew their retirement after being convinced by President or Prime Minister

A lot of factors could push a cricketer to retire from the game. Sometimes, they may not be personal reasons for taking the decision. At times, it might require the intervention of the Head of the Nation to get back the player in the game. This shall be purely in the interest of the team. It has happened quite a few times in the past. Here, we take a look at three popular players who withdrew their retirement after being convinced by President or Prime Minister in the game’s history.

1) Imran Khan (Pakistan)

It was at the age of 35 that Imran Khan retired first. However, he had a call with President General Zia Ul Haq and he came back to play the game.

The rest was history as he helped Pakistan win the World Cup in 1992. This is one of the most memorable comebacks in the game’s history.

2) Javed Miandad (Pakistan)

Javed Miandad is one of the popular players who withdrew their retirement after being convinced by the President or Prime Minister in the game’s history. It was actually in 1994 that Javed made the decision to retire.

However, within 10 days, there was a call by PM Benazir Bhutto to take back his retirement. There was a request for Javed to continue until the 1996 World Cup. He played in the competition and became the first player to be a part of 6 World Cup campaigns.

3) Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)

Recently, Tamim Iqbal joined this list. His U-Turn happened just within a span of 1 day. Firstly, he decided to retire with the ODI World Cup not far away.

Later, he got a call from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Tamim decided to take back his retirement. He said that he could not say “No” to the Prime Minister. Anyways, it will be a big boost for Bangladesh. Tamim’s experience will help the team in the WC.

Tamim Iqbal isn't the first player to withdraw retirement on request of country's PM/President.

In 1988, Imran Khan was asked to return to cricket by President, General Zia Ul Haq.

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And PM Benazir Bhutto requested Javed Miandad to continue playing for Pakistan till 1996 WC.

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) July 7, 2023