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Cricket can be a great leveller of life and something to swear by, much like one’s second nature; the more one plays it.
But there are often those moments where a once active cricketer turns to faith or religion post active service for his nation maybe in a bid to extract greater meaning from life.
There have been quite a few who’ve actively walked that path whilst still playing the game but some who turned to philosophy or spirituality post retirement.
Let’s find out some noted names who’ve done the latter:
Saeed Anwar
Saeed Anwar during his day as an active Pakistan cricketer was counted among the most gracious and daring batters. He was as committed for his country as he was to the elegant and stylish ways his batting.
His highest individual score of 194 against India stood for the longest time as a daring example of his incredible batting. But post retirement, Anwar, a devout Muslim, dedicated his life to religious preaching, particularly the Tablighi Jamat.
Tatenda Taibu
One of the nicest, finest and most talented of Zimbabwean batters, Taibu, once known as the pint-sized dynamite, represented Zimbabwe in 178 international games. But owing to a tectonic career that was also marked by opaque selection policies, the right handed keeper-batter took to the Christian faith and the teachings of the Bible post cricketing duties.
For several years together, Taibu studied countless Bible verses and quotes and found solace in life. At the moment, he’s associated with the PNG cricket team.
Adrian Barath
A one time West Indies Test opener but a talent who didn’t ultimately walk the long mile for the men from the Caribbean, Barath, Test centurion during his time for the West Indies, retired from the game at 24 and focused his faith and energies on becoming a Jehova’s witness post cricket. He decided to dedicate the rest of his life, post cricket, to the service of god, Jehova and his own family.
Arjuna Ranatunga
The victorious captain of the 1996 World Cup for Sri Lanka had turned to active politics back in the celebrated island nation. But post that, the big run making captain of Sri Lanka took out a lot of his time and devoted it to Buddhist studies and activists. It’s a religion, rather school of thought he most ascribes to and seems to have found a lot of peace in the philosophy.
