Top 10 retirements from international cricket in 2017

6. Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in November

While Saeed Ajmal picked up wickets by the dozen right throughout his career, the question marks surrounding his bowling action never really disappeared. Ultimately, his action was his undoing as he turned from 'mystery spinner' to 'misery spinner' having remodelled it in compliance with ICC's norms.

The 40-year old was known for dumbfounding batsmen with his bag of tricks which included variations in speed and flight and a potent doosra. He was one of the key architects of Pakistan's win in the 2009 ICC World T20. Riding on his bowling, Pakistan also reached the semi-finals of both the 2010 ICC World T20 and the 2011 ICC World Cup.

In early 2012, when Pakistan hosted England for a test series in UAE, Ajmal spun a web around the strong English batting order as he picked up 24 wickets and led his team to a 3-0 series win. However, a couple of years later, the ICC banned him from bowling for having an illegal action.

An inability to break into the national team with a remodelled action forced the Pakistani off-spinner to retire. Despite all the controversies surrounding his action, he can look back at his career with pride as he finished with 447 international wickets at a combined average of less than 25.