News
Cricketers who retired early because of severe injuries

Injuries are considered an inevitable element of any sport but when the game is being played with a 150-gram ball made up of solid cork and leather and being delivered at lightning speed, you should expect numerous broken jaws, fractured ribs, and wounded heads. But the fact of the matter is that more serious injuries have materialized on the field of cricket by not just pace and bounce of the ball but also by the athletic and acrobatic stunts from the cricketers who in pursuit of giving their 100 percent on the field, often end up pulling a hamstring, twisting an ankle or fracturing their knees. There have been numerous instances when these injuries have proven more than ordinary hick-ups and have ended up costing players their careers. There are quite a few players who have been victims of injuries in their careers and let us go through a few of them.
Shane Bond
The speed star from New Zealand was renowned for his lightning pace. He was being viewed upon as one of the greatest after Sir Richard Hadlee. He is the fastest bowler to have emerged from the land of New Zealand. During his peak in 2003, this man was the real attraction in the world cup along with the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee. He has ripped through quite a few batting orders. He represented the black caps for nine years but this doesn’t tell the complete story. During his patchy career, he could manage to play only 18 tests and 82 ODIS thanks to the fragility of his structure.
Time and again he had issues with his back. The most serious of which was in late 2003 when he had surgery and his spine was transfused with titanium wire and was out for cricket for almost two years. Apart from these serious challenges, minute niggles were also frequently occurring which hindered his career. This speed merchant hung his shoes in 2010.
Nathan Bracken
The left-arm seamer from New South Wales was tall and well built with exceptional bowling abilities. He made his debut on the Australian side in the era when they had great Mcgrath, Lee, and Warne. He had the canny ability to move the ball back into the right-handers. He was definitely a guy with a promising future. He was ranked as the number 1 ODI bowler in 2008 and also he was declared Australia’s ODI player of the year in 2009. Like many other fast bowlers, he too had his share of injuries. But it was his knee injury that really curtailed his career and despite fighting all the odds, he decided to leave the game and planned to have his knee operated on.
Muhammad Zahid
Pakistan has a history of producing great fast bowlers. Most of them have unearthed from the province of Punjab. In the ’90s this pace bowling attack reached its crescendo and in those days it was considered almost impossible to penetrate into this attack. But surprisingly this lad from Gaggu Mandi made an impact in his debut test match against New Zealand with his ferocious pace and was and picked up 11 scalps. He was a genuine fast bowler with a great heart and was viewed upon as a great prospect for Pakistan cricket.
He suffered a back injury in the early part of his career and got operated on. This kept him out of the game but when he came back in 1999, he could never make the same impact again. He could manage to play only 5 test matches and 11 one-day internationals. He last represented Pakistan back in January 2003 and unfortunately could not make a comeback after that.
Craig Kieswetter
Born and raised in South Africa, Kieswetter played for Somerset in English county. Like few other players, he preferred England over South Africa for his international career and played 46 ODI and 25 T20 internationals. He was a hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman who liked to play his strokes and had opened for England in T20 cricket. The highlight of his career was winning the T20 world cup in 2010 in the Caribbean where he performed brilliantly along with Kevin Pietersen to clinch the 1st ICC title for his country.
In the 2014 season of English county, Craig Kieswetter was playing for Somerset against Northamptonshire where he met a very serious injury that shattered his aspirations of an illustrious career. He received a bouncer who went through his helmet and hit him on the face. He suffered from a broken nose and fractured cheekbone. The injury was quite serious indeed but nobody expected it to be a career-threatening one. But the later proceedings clearly proved the severity of the blow and Kieswetter tried his best to fight the ailment but the things never went his after that blow. He found it impossible to sight the ball and hence had to retire from all forms of the game.
Saqlain Mushtaq
He was a wily character with a wide range of deliveries up his sleeve. Saqlain’s mixed bag contained the off-spin, topspin, arm ball and the most potent of them all was the doosra. He is someone who resurrected the art of off-spin bowling by inventing doosra. He changed the paradigm of off-spin bowling and demonstrated that off-spinners were no more going to be a run containing articles. He was the fastest to 100 and 200 ODI wickets.
He suffered from a knee injury and had surgery in left knee in early 2004. He was out of international cricket for almost half a year before that. But in March 2004, Inzamam ul Haq called Saqlain Mushtaq back into the side to play a test match against India in Multan. Even though Saqlain argued that he was not 100 percent to play the game, but Inzi insisted that he needed him in the team because of the non-availability of a genuine off-spinner. The match however didn’t turn out to be great for Saqlain because he got some serious hammering at the hands of Virender Shewag who scored 309. Saqlain ended up with dismal figures of 1-204. He was immediately dropped from the side and the worst part about that was that his injury exacerbated his right knee also underwent surgery. However, after this surgery, he could never make a comeback into the Pakistan team and that meant the end of his career.
Saba Karim
Saba Karim is one of the lesser-known commodities in international cricket. He played as a wicketkeeper for India but for not a long duration. He could never really find his place in the Indian team even after his debut in 1996. After the failures of the Indian keepers such as Nayan Mongia and Sameer Dighe, Mongia was called into the Indian team in the 2000 series against South Africa. It appeared to all of Indians that this was his chance to solidify his spot in the team but destiny had planned something else. In the 2000 Asia cup at Dhaka Karim was standing behind the stumps when he got hit on the eye on the delivery of Kumble. He underwent surgery but all this could not prevent this injury from finishing his cricket career forever and hence he never played again for India.
Phillip Hughes
This gutsy left-handed batsman from South Australia was an elegant and promising cricketer with an illustrious career ahead of him. He played a couple of seasons for New South Wales before making his international debut. His stroke playing resembled that of great Mathew Hayden and he was as effective as the two legendary openers Langer and Hayden.
His story of injury is very different from the rest of the guys mentioned here because his injury didn’t just cost him his career but his precious life.
In November 2014 at Sydney, while representing South Australia against New South Wales, He received a bouncer from Sean Abbot that hit him just below his left year. Receiving the blow, he immediately fell down and went into the state of a comma. He was immediately hospitalized and the game was abandoned.
He remained in the state of coma for two days during which he underwent surgery as well. But unfortunately, the young lad at the age of 25 was not able to survive this blow and died on 27th November 2014.
The news came out as a shock to the entire cricketing fraternity and later serious concerns were raised on the safety of players and the use of better safety wares for the players. But this incidence clearly proves the point that cricket is by no means an easy game to play especially when you are facing a steaming fast bowler.
Cricket
Inaugural ‘Battle of Green’ Set to Ignite a New School Cricket Rivalry
Cricket enthusiasts in Mirigama and Giriulla are in for an exciting showdown as D.S. Senanayake College, Mirigama, and Wickramshila National School, Giriulla, prepare to launch their first-ever “Battle of Green” big match.
This historic encounter will take place at the Mirigama Public Grounds, marking the beginning of a thrilling annual rivalry between the two schools. Fans from both towns are expected to gather in large numbers, adding to the electric atmosphere of this inaugural clash.
The introduction of the Battle of Green is a significant milestone for school cricket in the region, providing a platform for young cricketers to showcase their talent while fostering sportsmanship and competitive spirit.
Stay tuned for match updates, player insights, and exclusive coverage on Sri Lankan Sports TV.
Football
Sri Lankan Football in Crisis: Corruption, Mismanagement, and a Forgotten Future
Sri Lankan football is facing an unprecedented crisis, with corruption, financial mismanagement, and neglect threatening to erase any hope for the sport’s future. Despite repeated warnings, investigations, and calls for reform, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) under its current leadership has continued to operate with impunity, ignoring the development of local players while prioritizing foreign-born recruits.
Audit Findings Ignored – Where is the Accountability?
The Ministry of Sports’ audit report uncovered multiple financial discrepancies within FFSL, yet no action has been taken to rectify them. The Finance Committee raised critical concerns, including:
- Unpaid Media Rights Payment of USD 10,000
- A missing payment for SAFF Sri Lanka match media rights, with public service media confirming they never received the funds.
- The Finance Committee instructed immediate resolution, yet no updates have been provided.
- Unresolved Zolo Football Purchase
- FFSL paid LKR 12,775,000 for Zolo footballs from Ceylon Professional Sports Management (CPSM) without a financial guarantee, violating tender procedures.
- The Finance Committee recommended either securing the footballs or recovering the funds, with escalation to the CID if unresolved. No progress has been reported.
- Unpaid Sponsorship Payment of USD 30,000
- Sponsorship funds from Public Service Media (PSM) for the Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy remain unaccounted for.
- Despite instructions to resolve the matter, FFSL has failed to provide any updates.
FFSL’s Downward Spiral – A Lost Generation of Footballers
While Sri Lanka’s football governance remains plagued by corruption, the country’s domestic football structure has completely collapsed. There have been no domestic tournaments since 2022, depriving young players of a pathway to professional football. Despite over 42,000 active school-level players across 600 schools, FFSL has failed to support grassroots development, instead using school tournaments for branding while parents bear the costs.
Rather than investing in homegrown talent, the FFSL has prioritized recruiting foreign-based players to represent Sri Lanka’s national team. The current squad is unrecognizable, with only captain Sujan Perera representing local talent. Critics argue that these foreign recruits, most of whom play in third or fourth-tier leagues abroad, are using Sri Lankan representation to boost their own careers while the nation’s domestic football stagnates.
Sri Lanka’s Footballing Reputation in Tatters
The state of Sri Lankan football reached an embarrassing low during the AFC Cup qualifiers when head coach Abdullah Almutairi received a red card—a rare and humiliating moment in international football. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s FIFA ranking has plummeted from 124th to 200th out of 207, driven by alleged embezzlement of FIFA and AFC funds under successive FFSL presidents.
Unlike successful footballing nations, which integrate foreign-origin players into domestic leagues before calling them up to the national team, Sri Lanka’s approach has been reckless and damaging. The lack of Pro License coaches for the past 30 years has further exacerbated the decline, leaving Sri Lanka lagging behind regional peers like India and the Maldives.
FFSL’s Financial Mismanagement & Political Interference
- FFSL has failed to present audited accounts since 2022, with officials suppressing the ministry’s audit report to avoid scrutiny.
- Stolen equipment, including Adidas footballs, bags, and boots, has been traced to top FFSL officials, including former national captains and the finance manager. CCTV footage reportedly supports these claims.
- Despite widespread allegations, successive sports ministers have turned a blind eye, allowing FFSL officials to manipulate narratives and maintain their grip on power.
- The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for 2023-2024 has been postponed until March 2025—deliberately delaying accountability measures.
Will the Government Finally Take Action?
The newly elected government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, campaigned on an anti-corruption platform. Yet, despite the Ministry of Sports uncovering serious financial mismanagement, no action has been taken to hold FFSL accountable.
The time for promises has long passed. If Sri Lanka is to salvage its footballing future, immediate intervention is needed from the government, FIFA, and relevant stakeholders. Failure to act now will not only doom the sport but also betray the thousands of young Sri Lankan footballers who still dream of wearing the national jersey.
The question remains: Will the government finally clean up the mess in Sri Lankan football, or will corruption continue to suffocate the game?
Football
Sri Lanka Faces Thailand in AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers – Live
Sri Lanka is set to take on Thailand in a crucial AFC Asian Cup Qualifier today. With history favoring Thailand in past encounters, the Sri Lankan squad will look to turn the tide and secure a positive result.
Sri Lanka has struggled in previous meetings, losing all five of their last encounters against Thailand, including a 2-0 defeat in their most recent clash in 2022. However, with a revamped squad and fresh motivation, they aim to challenge their higher-ranked opponents.
Thailand, known for its structured play and attacking prowess, will be looking to continue its dominance. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, still in the rebuilding phase, will need a strong defensive display and tactical discipline to stand a chance.
Can Sri Lanka pull off an upset and make a statement on the continental stage? Stay tuned for live updates and post-match analysis.
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