Cricket: The Question Of Retirement

“Retire at a stage such that people ask why now, rather than why not?”

Michael Hussey seems to have taken this famous quote very seriously. Compared to some of the golden oldies, at 37, Mr. Cricket is still a youngster. In his last year of international test cricket, Hussey averaged 65. Four tons came off his bat in 2012. Now, why go at this stage, Michael?

2012 was a sad year for international cricket. The men who symbolized cricket over the last decade or so, are now gone.

Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Ricky Ponting, Andrew Strauss, Mark Boucher, Brett Lee. None of them left on the best notes. Rahul Dravid had a brilliant 2011. However, his poor series in Australia in early 2012 where he got bowled with such alarming consistency that the stumps must have been begging for pads, and the fact that he was 39, were bound to raise questions. VVS Laxman had been inconsistent right through 2011 and 2012, looking a pale shadow of his glorious self. Ricky Ponting, in his last couple of series, didn’t know when and where his next run would come from. Andrew Strauss felt he couldn’t give his one hundred percent anymore and thus decided to call it quits. Boucher had decided to retire after the England series, but an eye injury prematurely ended his career in that very series. He, too, hadn’t fired with the bat, and his departure was impending. Brett Lee had decided to focus on the shorter formats after retiring from Tests in 2010, but his aching body prevented him from excelling. A mediocre 2011 and 2012, coupled with his decreasing levels of fitness, forced him to retire from all forms.

Now it’s time to talk about the man himself, Sachin Tendulkar. Arguably the greatest player of this generation, he has been around for more than 23 years now. He’s closer to 40 than to 39. His stumps have been rattled more than ever in the past one year. Questions are being asked about his waning reflexes and technique. In March 2012, he made it very clear that he believes that it is selfish for a sportsman to retire at a time when he is doing well. Over the last year however, runs seem to have deserted him. While almost every cricket fan would want him to end on a high, how long a rope can he be handed? He’s seen all his colleagues hang up their boots over the last year. You can’t exactly hope he “takes the hint” anymore, the situation has gone past that. By a long margin. It’s high time that one of them, Sachin, or the Selectors, take a strong decision. Somehow, magically, to find a way to create an honourable path of exit for the man who has brought joy to millions for the better part of two decades.

In this era where cricketing superstars seem to enjoy overstaying their welcome, Michael Hussey is a refreshing change. It’s been hard to find a flaw in his sadly short international career. Hunting for a flaw in the timing of his retirement is harder. Most sportsmen have critics and fans. Here goes one who had just fans.