When retired hurt players made a daring comeback to the cricket field

Enter — Anil Kumble makes a daring comeback to bowl with a fractured jaw

There is a very popular saying in the game of cricket, ‘No match is won or lost until the last ball is bowled.’ Standing true to this quote, the game has witnessed some classical finishes. From on-field fiascos to last over finishes, it’s the thrill-factor in the game that keeps cricket lovers glued till the last ball of the match. If there is no thrill, the ‘vigor’ of the game is lost.

As the game of cricket always demanded fitter and meaner individuals, it never surprised us to see players putting their bodies on the line. And then there were instances when we witnessed cricketers missing out on a full season due to a serious injury. But that never stopped players from taking the undue risks on the field. After all, so many things are at stake when it comes to playing for your own country.

In this compilation, we are going to see 3 instances when a cricketer got retired hurt during a match and made a daring comeback to the field.

#1 Malcolm Marshall with a broken thumb against England

Malcom — Malcolm Marshall bats with a broken thumb vs England at Leeds, 1984

In the cricketing world, if anyone has truly rationalized the urban quote, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” then it has to be the West Indies fast bowler Malcolm Marshall. His heroics in the 1984 tour of England is still a talked-about-affair in the circle of cricketing legends.

Marshall fractured his left thumb while fielding for his side in the third Test against England at Leeds. When he set off the field, England side must have been relieved to see his back. But to their nightmares, Marshall came back to bat for his side with a plastered wrist.

The sight of Marshall using only his right hand to hold the bat amazed everyone. He clobbered Paul Allott for a drive and later, punched him for a boundary. His heroics with the bat only lasted for 8 balls, but in that small window of time, he and his batting partner Larry Gomes managed to register a small lead.

Marshall's heroics didn’t end there. He came to bowl in the second innings and returned with figures of 7/53 to help West Indies script a memorable win by 8 wickets.

#2 Anil Kumble with a broken jaw against West Indies

Anil Kumble, India’s ace leg-spinner with 619 Test wickets to his tally is vividly remembered for his bowling spell against the West Indies in the 4th Test of the series at Antigua in 2002.

While batting in India’s first innings, Kumble took a major blow on his jaw from a rising delivery of Mervyn Dillon. After spitting blood, Kumble still batted for 20 minutes before losing his wicket to Dillon.

Diagnosed with a broken jaw, Kumble simply strapped his face with the help of team’s physio Andrew Leipus and dared to bowl against the mighty West Indies batting line-up. Kumble managed to take the most important wicket of Brian Lara in the West Indies line-up.

“I thought I had to go in the middle and serve the team when it needed me. It was pointless sitting in the pavilion," said Kumble after getting a standing ovation from the crowd. The match however ended in a tame draw due to the poor quality of the pitch.

#3 Tamim Iqbal with a broken wrist against Sri Lanka

Tamim Iqbal must have sought ample amount of inspiration from Malcolm Marshall before coming to bat with a fractured left wrist during the opening match of Asia Cup 2018.

After winning the toss, Bangladesh lost a few quick wickets and were struggling at 142 for the loss of 5 wickets. Opener Tamim Iqbal was retired hurt in the second over while attempting a pull shot against Lankan fast bowler Suranga Lakmal.

When Bangladesh lost their ninth wicket for 229 runs, centurion Mushfiqur Rahim was still at the crease. That’s when Tamim returned back to the crease with a huge applause from the crowd. One could clearly see Tamim’s left pair of gloves were slit open to accommodate the plaster on his left hand.

Tamim held the bat with his right hand (not his batting hand being a left-handed batsman) to face the last delivery of the 47th over. He nicely defended the ball, and thereafter, Mushfiqur Rahim ripped the Lankan bowling attack and added 32 runs for the last wicket.

Later, Sri Lanka surrendered meekly in their run chase and lost the match by 137 runs.