Quinton de Kock, the latest to reverse his ODI retirement, joins a select group of cricketers who have gone back on their decision to quit international cricket, which includes the likes of Bob Simpson, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. Here are the most recent ones.
Quinton de Kock
De Kock announced in September 2023 that he would retire from ODIs after the World Cup, citing a wish to prioritise family and T20 franchise opportunities. In September 2025, after discussions with selectors and coach Shukri Conrad, he reversed his ODI retirement and was picked for the Pakistan tour, after expressing his ambition to represent his country again. He is also eyeing the 2027 World Cup at home.
Verdict: He is yet to play a game, but if AB de Villiers, who retired after 2018, was turned down for the 2019 edition as it was deemed unfair on the players by the CSA, why should it be allowed now?
Imad Wasim
Imad retired from international cricket in December 2023, citing fitness concerns and frustration at limited opportunities. His absence was brief, as strong PSL performances and talks with the PCB led him to reverse the decision in March 2024, with the T20 World Cup on the horizon. Recalled to the squad in May, he featured in the tournament but picked up just three wickets. He was not picked following the event, and Imad retired again.
Verdict: His return didn’t quite work out, also raising questions about Pakistan’s long-term planning and their approach to the 2024 T20 World Cup, with last-minute recalls.
Mohammad Amir
Amir, who first quit international cricket in 2020 after claiming to be “mentally tortured” by the team management, reversed his decision in March 2024 after “positive discussions” with the PCB and returned for the T20 World Cup, taking seven wickets in four games as Pakistan exited early. Nine months on, having played 12 matches since his comeback and overlooked for further selection, the 32-year-old announced a second retirement in December 2024, saying it was time for the next generation
Verdict: Same as Imad's. If it didn't work for one, it wouldn't for another.
Tamim Iqbal
Tamim shocked Bangladesh cricket in July 2023, only months before the World Cup, by announcing his retirement from international cricket. Struggling with recurring injuries and frustrated after disagreements with the board over his fitness management, the country’s leading ODI run-scorer broke down in an emotional press conference. But within a day, he reversed his decision, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, alongside former captain Mashrafe Mortaza, persuaded him to continue playing for Bangladesh. He was not picked for the World Cup in the end and announced his retirement this January.
Verdict: Tamim played one innings after the retirement drama, made 44, and never played again. Never a good idea for external forces to influence retirement decisions.
Ben Stokes
Stokes retired from ODIs in July 2022, calling the format “unsustainable” alongside his Test captaincy and T20 commitments. His body, worn down by constant knee issues, was a major factor in stepping away. However, with the 2023 World Cup looming and England eager for his experience in India, Stokes reversed his decision in August 2023. He returned to the side as a specialist batter, scoring a career-best 182 against New Zealand weeks before the tournament.
Verdict: Stokes made 304 runs at 50.66 in the World Cup. On the face of it, it seemed to have worked out, but it left him bruised and injured. England only went downhill thereafter, and the stopgap solution never worked.
Brendan Taylor
In March 2015, after Zimbabwe’s World Cup, Taylor signed a three-year Kolpak contract with Nottinghamshire, pausing his international career. This made him ineligible to play for Zimbabwe. In September 2017, Taylor returned, citing family reasons and a desire to help Zimbabwe cricket. He played until September 2021, when he retired abruptly, and was soon handed a three-and-a-half-year ICC ban for breaching anti-corruption rules. With the sanction ending in July 2025, Taylor reversed his decision and made a Test comeback against New Zealand.
Verdict: Despite facing a daunting time away, the 39-year-old is back, and it deserves kudos.
Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor retired from international cricket for New Zealand in 2022, having played 112 Tests, 236 ODIs, and 102 T20Is. Eligible for Samoa through his mother’s heritage, he completed a three-year cooling-off period since his last New Zealand appearance, making him eligible to represent them. Taylor will join Samoa for the T20 World Cup Asia-EAP Regional Final from October 8–17, citing pride in his heritage and the opportunity to give back to the game while sharing his experience on and off the field.
Verdict: How many want to return to the field after walking away for years? Ross is doing it for a noble cause and deserves all the love for it.
Kevin Pietersen
Pietersen retired from England’s limited-overs cricket in early 2012, four months before the T20 World Cup, stating increased demands from his body due to a packed international schedule. Less than two months later, he announced he was open to a return. He subsequently played eight more ODIs and one T20I for England, completing his brief comeback.
Verdict: Probably the first player to acknowledge workload demands before it became the new fad. His return did not create waves, but he voiced truths few had dared to.
Wanindu Hasaranga
Hasaranga retired from Test cricket at 26 in August 2023, after four Tests, averaging over 100 with the ball, citing that continuing in the format was not worthwhile given his white-ball focus and franchise commitments. In March 2024, he reversed his retirement and was named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh. Immediately after, Hasaranga was suspended for the series after accumulating eight ICC demerit points for dissent in recent white-ball matches. The ICC applied the ban to Tests, leaving him available to play the first four fixtures of the T20 World Cup that year. Some strategy, that.
Verdict: Our absolute favourite reversal. Brilliant thinking and finding loopholes, without breaking any rules.
Shahid Afridi
Afridi was known for announcing and reversing retirements as much as he was for his ‘Boom Boom’ hitting. In April 2006, he retired from Test cricket but reversed his decision within two weeks after persuasion from the PCB chairman. He played one Test in the next four years and retired again in 2010, after captaining against Australia at Lord’s. In May 2011, Afridi announced his retirement from all international formats after being sacked as Pakistan skipper following the World Cup, but made a comeback in October of the same year. He retired from ODIs after the 2015 World Cup and announced his final international retirement in February 2017.
Verdict: Nay for the first, second, third... fifth, sixth, if there were any. His many retirements and returns are now a matter of amusement, but it reeks of fickle-mindedness and a desperation to have things your way.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Rajapaksa resigned from international cricket in January 2022, citing familial obligations amid speculation about new fitness requirements imposed by Sri Lanka Cricket. His resignation came after prior fitness concerns and a fallout with then-head coach Mickey Arthur. Just over a week later, following a meeting with the Sports Minister, Rajapaksa withdrew his resignation, declaring his intention to represent Sri Lanka “for the years to come.” He most recently played a T20I at the start of the year.
Verdict: If Rajapaksa deemed unhappiness over the new fitness requirements and retired as a result, he should never have been coaxed back. Non-negotiables.
Moeen Ali
Moeen reversed his retirement from Test cricket, first announced in September 2021, after England’s management requested his return following Jack Leach’s lower-back stress fracture in June 2023. Moeen’s return was prompted by the team’s immediate need for an experienced all-rounder for the Ashes, where he scored 180 runs in four games at 25.71 and picked up nine wickets. He did not play a Test after the series and finally announced his international retirement in 2024.
Verdict: An SOS call, and he was back within weeks for his team. Fared well despite limited preparation, but his being ready to fight again when he thought he was done is the real win.
Jerome Taylor
Taylor announced his Test retirement after playing 46 Tests and taking 130 wickets in 2016 to focus on shorter formats. In 2015, he took 28 Test wickets, the most from his side, surpassing 18. He did not make it into the ODI or T20I sides for the next 14 months following his Test departure, which led him to reverse his Test aspirations in 2017. He never played another Test, and his white-ball career also did not progress.
Verdict: If something's working out fine for you, let it.
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