2024 was their last year for these recent international retirees
Tim Southee is the latest cricketer to announce that he will not play Test cricket in 2025.
The New Zealand seamer is among a string of cricketers who made similar choices in 2024, retiring from one, more or all formats of the game.
Let’s take a look at five of the most notable retirements in international cricket in 2024.
James Anderson
Anderson ended his career as the third highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket – and the most prolific seamer in the format. He was effectively asked to exit Test cricket. It wasn’t really his choice.
Anderson, though, has been mentoring England‘s younger fast bowlers since and has taken the opportunity to list himself for the 2025 Indian Premier League player auction.
Dawid Malan
Malan used to be right up there among England’s first-choice picks in their limited-overs XIs. But his popularity started to fade, he saw the signals and made decision to walk away.
“Cricket, like most sports, is an industry where almost everyone eventually retires wishing they had done that little bit more. Whether you’ve played 10 Tests or 100, many step away regretting not playing just one more, scoring a few more runs, or winning more trophies. Right now, as I retire from international cricket, I can say I am genuinely satisfied,” he said at the time.
Read more: 3 cricketers who retired early from international cricket
Shikhar Dhawan
In a year that also brought an end to Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s T20I careers, India also lost Dhawan across all formats. Dhawan’s international career spanned almost a decade. You won’t be seeing him in the Indian Premier League either.
“It’s important to turn the page to move forward in life and that’s why I am announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket. I am leaving with peace in my heart that I played so long for India. I’ve told myself don’t feel sad that you won’t play for India anymore, but feel happy that you played for the country,” said Dhawan.
Dean Elgar
Elgar’s working relationship with South Africa‘s new Test coach Shukri Conrad was fragile at best. The two didn’t really get along, evidently. Elgar made his move and has since been opening the batting for Essex in England with reasonable success.
“It felt as though they did not recognise all my hard work over the previous year and a half, that they didn’t realise how much we had improved as a team,” Elgar told Rapport.
“From being sixth or seventh in the world, we became a team with the potential to play in the World Test Championship final. Shukri Conrad is the reason why my Test career was cut short.”
Sybrand Engelbrecht
Engelbrecht took years to qualify to play for Netherlands after relocating to South Africa.
He eventually reached his goal – and ultimately 12 ODIs and 12 T20Is for his adopted country before promptly calling it quits a mere year into his burgeoning international career.
Participation in the T20 World Cup was surely a highlight for him.
Read next: Which wicketkeepers have scored the most Test runs?
