The year 2024 witnessed the retirement of several prominent cricketers, including Pakistan’s Mohammad Aamir, Imad Wasim, and India’s Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma stepping away from T20Is, and James Anderson bidding farewell to Test cricket.
List of cricketers who retired in 2024
Dean Elgar (All Formats)
South African opener Dean Elgar, the first international cricketer to retire in 2024, ended his career after 86 Tests and 8 ODIs. He announced his retirement before the Test series against India in December-January 2023-24 and played his final match in the New Year’s Test at Newlands, Cape Town. Elgar scored 5,347 Test runs at an average of 37.92, with 14 centuries and 23 half-centuries. As captain, he led South Africa in 18 Tests, achieving 9 wins and 8 losses.
David Warner (All Formats)
Australian opener David Warner retired from all formats of international cricket in 2024. He ended his Test career after the series against Pakistan at the SCG, having scored 8,786 runs in 112 matches. His ODI career, with 6,932 runs in 161 matches, concluded in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final against India. Warner retired from T20Is after the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, finishing with 48 centuries across formats. He received a winning farewell in Tests as Australia whitewashed Pakistan in his final series.
Heinrich Klaasen (Tests)
South African wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen announced his retirement from Test cricket on January 8, 2024, to focus solely on limited-overs formats. Debuting against India in October 2019, Klaasen played just four Tests, scoring 108 runs, with his final appearance coming against West Indies in March 2023 at the Wanderers, Johannesburg.
Neil Wagner (All formats)
New Zealand left-arm seamer Neil Wagner retired from international cricket in 2024 after being informed that his services as a bowler were no longer required. Wagner played 64 Tests for New Zealand between 2012 and 2024, claiming 260 wickets, and was a key member of the team that triumphed over India in the 2021 World Test Championship final.
Dinesh Karthik (All formats)
Dinesh Karthik announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, including the IPL, at the age of 39 after being overlooked for India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad despite a strong IPL season. Karthik represented India in 94 ODIs, 60 T20Is, and 26 Test matches, with his final international appearance coming in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
David Wiese (All formats)
All-rounder David Wiese, who played for both South Africa and Namibia, retired after the 2024 T20 World Cup. He featured in 54 T20Is and 15 ODIs, with 34 T20Is and 9 ODIs for Namibia. Wiese left South African cricket in 2016 for a Kolpak deal and made his Namibia debut in 2021, playing a key role in their qualification for the Super 12 round of the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli (T20Is)
During the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final, where he was named Man of the Match for his match-winning 76, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from T20 internationals. Kohli, who played 125 T20I matches, scored 4,188 runs, including a top score of 122*, an average of 48.69, 1 century, and 38 fifties, leaving behind a remarkable legacy in the format.
Rohit Sharma (T20Is)
After leading India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20I cricket. He became only the third Indian captain to win a World Cup title. Rohit is still the leading run-scorer in T20Is, having scored 4,231 runs in 159 matches at an average of 32.05, including 5 centuries and 32 fifties.
Ravindra Jadeja (T20Is)
After India’s victory in the T20 World Cup, Ravindra Jadeja, following in the footsteps of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game. However, he will continue to play for India in Test and ODI formats. Over his career from 2009 to 2024, Jadeja played 74 T20Is, scoring 515 runs and taking 54 wickets.
James Anderson (All formats)
James Anderson, who announced his retirement in May and played his last Test match for England in July 2024, finished his career with 704 wickets in Test cricket, the most by any fast bowler and third overall behind Shane Warne (708) and Muttiah Muralitharan (800).
Shikhar Dhawan (All formats)
Shikhar Dhawan, who announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on August 24, 2024, finishes his career with 2315 Test runs, 6793 ODI runs, and 1579 T20I runs, including 17 ODI centuries and seven Test hundreds, and played a key role in helping India win the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, where he was the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
Dawid Malan (All formats)
Former No. 1 ranked ICC T20I batsman Dawid Malan announced his retirement from international cricket on August 28, finishing his career with 1074 Test runs at an average of 27.53, 1450 ODI runs at an impressive average of 55.76, and 1892 T20I runs at 36.38, along with eight centuries and 32 half-centuries for England.
Moeen Ali (All formats)
England all-rounder Moeen Ali announced his retirement from international cricket on September 8, 2024, at the age of 37. A pivotal figure in England’s back-to-back ICC trophy triumphs—the 2019 World Cup on home soil and the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. In his time representing England, he played 68 Tests, 138 ODIs, and 92 T20Is, scoring 6,678 runs, including eight centuries, and taking 366 wickets.
Shakib Al Hasan (Test and T20I)
Shakib Al Hasan retired from T20Is and Test cricket this year but will keep playing ODIs. He scored 2251 runs in T20Is, the most for Bangladesh, along with 13 fifties and 149 wickets \In Tests, he made over 4000 runs and took 246 wickets.
Matthew Wade (All formats)
On October 29, Matthew Wade announced his retirement from international cricket and swiftly transitioned into a coaching role. Wade played 36 Tests, 97 ODIs, and 92 T20Is for Australia. He scored 1,613 runs in Tests, 1,867 runs in ODIs, and 1,202 runs in T20Is. Wade played a crucial role in Australia’s historic win at the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup against Pakistan
Tim Southee (Test cricket)
On November 14th, Tim Southee announced his retirement from Test cricket. Having made his Test debut against England in 2008, he played his last Test against the same opposition in Hamilton. Southee picked up 391 wickets in 107 Test matches, the second most for New Zealand.
Imad Wasim (ODIs & T20Is)
Similar to Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim also came out of international cricket retirement to participate in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. However, like Amir, Wasim couldn’t help Pakistan secure the title. On December 13, 2024, Wasim announced his retirement from international cricket. The former all-rounder represented Pakistan in 55 ODIs and 75 T20Is, scoring 986 and 554 runs respectively, while taking 44 wickets in ODIs and 73 wickets in T20Is.
Mohammad Amir (All formats)
After returning from retirement to feature in the ICC T20 World Cup, Mohammad Amir confirmed his retirement from Pakistan cricket on December 14, finishing with 271 wickets across 36 Tests, 61 ODIs, and 62 T20Is.
Mohammad Irfan (All Formats)
On December 15, Mohammad Irfan, Pakistan’s tallest fast bowler, announced his retirement from international cricket, becoming the third Pakistani player to retire consecutively. Irfan represented Pakistan in four Tests, 60 ODIs, and 22 T20Is, claiming 109 wickets across all formats. Although his last international appearance was over five years ago
Ravichandran Ashwin (All Formats)
Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his immediate retirement from international cricket after the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Brisbane. Over his illustrious career, Ashwin played 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, claiming 537, 156, and 72 wickets respectively. A valuable batter as well, he scored 3,503 runs in Tests, including six centuries and 14 fifties.
Trent Boult (All Formats)
Making his Test debut for New Zealand in December 2011, the New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult announced his retirement from international cricket in June 2024 after the T20 World Cup.
