Cricket has given many players a livelihood and to some fame, money and what not. There is a general cliche that goes in sports – the more you give to the game, the game will give you that much.
What happens when these players retire from international cricket? Some choose cricket administration, some choose to become a coach while others become experts of the game, giving their opinions.
Here, we talk about five such cricketers who chose a path less travelled by. Their after-cricket life was not as fabulous as their cricket careers.
Tatenda Taibu:
The former Zimbabwe captain, after his early retirement, Taibu had become a full-time devotee of God. He did not wish to stay connected with cricket after he retired from all forms of the game. Post 2012, he did not come in the media spotlight at all. He had no interest in what was going on in the world of cricket either. He had donated his cricket kit and other things to those who wanted to pursue the game. He lived in a home which had no television set. In one line, Taibu was living a life of a saint.
Chris Cairns:
Fixing claims ruined Chris Cairns glittery career. Court cases followed and this meant that he had to invest a lot of money to save his pride. To deal with the financial losses, Chris Cairns turned to washing bus shelters.
Carl Hooper:
Over 11,000 runs in international cricket, Carl Hooper is one of the forgotten batting legends of West Indies cricket. But he has never ever be seen anywhere after he retired. Last heard, he was running a bar with his wife and brothers in Adelaide, Australia.
Upul Chandana:
Sri Lanka’s Upul Chandana was a successful bowler, especially in the shorter formats. He has taken 151 wickets in his 147-ODIs career. Chandana, after retiring from international cricket, chose to open a sports shop. His shop is named ‘Chandana Sports Shop’.
Arshad Khan:
A newspaper story published in TOI reported that Arshad Khan, who has played over 60 international games for Pakistan was driving Uber cabs in Sydney, Australia.
