LISTICLE
Follow UsSometimes, just playing cricket professionally is not enough. One has to think about life after the game. Some are lucky to make a living out of a sport they love and have enough money in their pocket to take them through post-retirement. However, not everyone is that lucky. Some leave the game, even at their peaks, to pursue their careers elsewhere for monetary reasons, while some are forced to take up menial jobs to make ends meet.
George Worker, who retired on August 13 (Tuesday), may not fall into this category. Still, at 34, he has given up his professional cricketing career to pursue a career in an investment services firm. On that note, we look at a few cricketers whose post-cricket careers took a different turn – something you would not have thought of when you cheered for them in front of a television:
Henry Olonga (Zimbabwe)
Considered one of the best talents from Zimbabwe, Henry Olonga shot himself in the foot when he, along with Andy Flower, wore a black armband at the 2003 World Cup in Zimbabwe in protest against the incumbent government’s atrocities.
He fled the country after that and many years later, he appeared in season eight of The Voice of Australia. In an interview, Olonga admitted that his singing career is his second innings in life.
Joginder Sharma (India)
Joginder Sharma’s career ended as abruptly as it started. However, in his limited chances, he won India their maiden T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa. MS Dhoni trusted the pacer to bowl the final over in crunch matches, including the final, where he picked up the wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq to help India clinch the title. He joined the Haryana Police in 2007 and was appointed the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) for his contribution in the mega event.
Chris Cairns (New Zealand)
After scoring over 8,000 runs and picking up 420 wickets in his 15-year international career, New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns was accused of fixing matches in the Indian Cricket League (ICL). However, he stood his ground and said that he was never involved, and eventually, no charges were levied on him. While he continues to fight these match-fixing charges, Cairns made ends meet by driving and cleaning buses in Auckland for 17 dollars an hour. Life took a further drastic turn, when he suffered a massive heart attack in 2021 and was paralysed after suffering a stroke during surgery. More recently in 2022, he was diagnosed with bowel cancer. If there was ever a fall from grace, look no further than Cairns.
Nathan Astle (New Zealand)
The record holder of the fastest Test double century, the flamboyant New Zealand batter Nathan Astle, move to a different “track” altogether. Astle, who scored over 11,000 runs for New Zealand, moved to the world of sprint car racing. However, due to his cricket career, his passion for racing had to take a back seat. But four years after he retired, he debuted at the Ruapuna Speedway near Christchurch, where he accompanied his father to watch races as a kid.
Imran Khan (Politician)
Considered to be one of the best all-rounders in world cricket, Imran Khan turned to politics and, after years of toil, became the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2018 and hung on to his position till he was ousted in 2022.
Retiring after leading Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup win, Imran founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 1996. When he won the election in 2018, he became the largest party in the national assembly and formed a coalition government with Imran named PM. Imran played more than 260 international matches for Pakistan, finishing with over 450 scalps.
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