Best Player farewell seen in your lifetime......

From an Indian's POV, Ganguly's must be the best I have ever seen. India winning the series against Ausies 2-0, Ganguly captaining India to victory last 5 overs, Removing his shirt again ala Lords in 2002, Carried around by ecstatic teammates and scoring a mountain of runs in the last series and test as well. Too perfect a script, a player departing when still at the top of his game and in scintillating form, a glorious happy retirement not many save Gavaskar has seen in Indian cricket. Srinath went out with his head held high too but didn't get such a grand send-off either. Here players fade into sunset unsung, bitter and partly because they never quit at the right time never seeing the writing on the wall. Most retire because they are never picked again and after failing in a comeback finally retire. So few people get to go out with so much dignity and honour, head held high when the whole team has done so well. It was a great feeling watching the re-run of the proceedings yesterday after end of Day's work. Brought a lump down my throat. It is a tragedy the second most successful captain of India and his predecessor never got a befitting farewell as the ugly matchfixing episode ended his career in disgrace.

Outside India watching the 2 Aussie greats Warne-McGrath together 2 years back was perhaps another best one that comes to mind. So many greats retired inconsequentially - People like Donald, Pollock, Stewart, Hussain, Fleming, Kapil, DeSilva, Jayasurya etc. who couldn't bow out on a high.

The rest of you can share your favourite retirements and emotions of seeing your heroes leave here! I am choking a atd even as I write this.....

Thanks for the great memories Dada. When you broke into the team at Lords in 1995, not many people wanted to see you play for India and quite a few of your critics prayed for your failure. When you finally played your last series, everyone prayed for your success and nobody wanted to see you leave the team. You started your test career with a bang and ended it a bang. Perhaps there is a case of not having realized your true potential as a batsman in between. But You played the game hard and fair on your own terms and have signed off on your own terms as well. You have shown the ideal way for a generation of new players as you did as both a captain and a batsman - the way to perhaps not fade out in the sunset, bitter and beyond their own correct time.......

Ganguly's first ball duck in his last Test innings.

I enjoyed the farewells to Chappell and Lillee at the SCG in Sydney in 1983/4 (Marsh retired a few days later) and the way we lauded the deeds of Langer, Warne and McGrath after their last test, also in Sydney a couple of seasons ago.

Both sets of legends went out on winning notes. Chappell broke the catches world record for tests, then only 122 and made a superb 182 in his last test.

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:I can't wait to enjoy Graeme Smith's farewell.

Will throw a party, the fat qunt will be gone forever.

Red wrote:I enjoyed the farewells to Chappell and Lillee at the SCG in Sydney in 1983/4 (Marsh retired a few days later) and the way we lauded the deeds of Langer, Warne and McGrath after their last test, also in Sydney a couple of seasons ago.

Both sets of legends went out on winning notes. Chappell broke the catches world record for tests, then only 122 and made a superb 182 in his last test.

Not to mention Lillee and Marsh ending up on 355 dismissals each and Lillee taking 8 wickets including one with his final ball in Tests; GSC breaking the Dons Australian test runs record with overthows and then becoming the first Aussie to score 7000 runs; Bobby Simpson wiping egg off his face after he had predicted that the pressure would be too much for Chappell to break the Don's record (he needed 60 odd).


Alan MacGilvray's commentary farewell was pretty grouse too - it was announced at the ground and the players, umpires and spectators all turned to give him a standing ovation.

Chappell's was a poignant moment as he challenged himself to do it. He said he was finishing after that test as if he broke the record, so be it. As usual his timing was impeccable on the big stage. He was a big occasion player.

The Lillee/Marsh dismissals symmetry was also a nice touch.

Red wrote:

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:I can't wait to enjoy Graeme Smith's farewell.

Will throw a party, the fat qunt will be gone forever.

Going on a diet?

Think Tubby had a great farewell too....winning a ubber against pakistan away and getting a triple ton on the way out matching Bradman's highest and then deciding suddenly,"Jeez, this is it. This is as far as I WANT to go..."

Waugh senior went out doing what he was known to do best, saving a test and holding fort but couldn't make it a result series, the quest for his final frontier unachieved.

Gilchrist on the other hand couldn't time it well.....

Probably McGrath, Warne and Dada all got what we can term as 'perfect' retirements.

JGK wrote:Ganguly's first ball duck in his last Test innings.

You had to spoil my beautiful thread, didn't ya?

Too bad Kumble didn't get it perfect. If any Indian player deserved to go out on a high, he did. I do think that BCCI may have missd a trick in not giving a reformed Ganguly a shot at captaincy again, even if stopgap, when Kumble was appointed after Sachin declined the job for a third stint. Too much politics over retaining Dada in the team could be the result.

Batman wrote:

JGK wrote:Ganguly's first ball duck in his last Test innings.

You had to spoil my beautiful thread, didn't ya?

{shrugs} Don't ask the question if you don't think you'll like the answer.

Batman wrote:Think Tubby had a great farewell too....winning a ubber against pakistan away and getting a triple ton on the way out matching Bradman's highest and then deciding suddenly,"Jeez, this is it. This is as far as I WANT to go..."

That doesn't look right. I think it should read "an ubber".






.... and Tubby played against England after the Pakistan series.

WideWally wrote:

Batman wrote:Think Tubby had a great farewell too....winning a ubber against pakistan away and getting a triple ton on the way out matching Bradman's highest and then deciding suddenly,"Jeez, this is it. This is as far as I WANT to go..."

That doesn't look right. I think it should read "an ubber".






.... and Tubby played against England after the Pakistan series.

May he meant Warney's "an udder".