Hasan Ali with the Champions Trophy in 2017 (Source: @ICC/X)
There are many cruel sport worldwide, and unfortunately, cricket is one of them. The achievements, the fame, the popularity one gains after doing wonderful things in a particular event, all of them fans fail to recall after a while once new stars are born. This is how it is. That’s how the game works.
As Champions Trophy is less than a month away from the much-anticipated commencement, let’s take a look at five superstars of the game who made headlines in the past in this showpiece ICC tournament.
5. Niroshan Dickwella
When Sri Lanka’s southpaw came into the mix of things, he gave a glimpse of their legendary opener Sanath Jayasuriya in terms of range of shots and the incredible natural ability to be aggressive against anyone. His classy 86-ball 73 against Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2017, in an innings when no Sri Lankan batter could not even cross 40, is one of the best knocks of his entire career. There, his presence was truly felt.
However, Dickwella’s ODI career graph went downwards with time. From 44.75 average in 2016, the numbers fell to 33.04 and 34.58 in the following years. To make matters worse, Dickwella was suspended from all forms of cricket for three years due to alleged anti-doping violations before eventually it was lifted four months later. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old is no longer the same man on the field like he used to be when he came as a rookie.
4. Junaid Khan
Having picked up eight wickets across four matches at an economy rate of 4.58 and an average of 19.37, Junaid was one of the clinical members from Pakistan to power them to the prestigious trophy in 2017. His best spell in the tournament came in the same match where Dickwella was superb, where he claimed 3/40, with Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Thisara Perera – three of Sri Lanka’s powerhouses – being his victims.
Junaid, 35 now, however, has not played a single match for Pakistan since 2019. In fact, he has not played cricket at any professional level since playing for Balochistan in September 2022. A bowler who dismissed Virat Kohli thrice in three attempts in an India versus Pakistan bilateral series, surely fans expected him more to deliver at the highest level.
3. Mohammad Amir
After hogging limelight due to unwanted reasons, Amir was the pioneer in Pakistan’s success against India in the all-important final. Even though he did not have great outings one after another before entering the finale, having managed two wickets in three matches, he wreaked havoc when it mattered the most. Three of the best in the business, that too at their prime – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan – all were Amir’s victims; his outstanding bowling figures were 6-2-16-3. None of them lasted long, and India never really recovered from there before Hardik Pandya’s miraculous knock.
With the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf becoming the face of Pakistan's new-looked pace attack, Amir was no longer in the mix of things for the country. And he accepted the fact, and decided to retire from international cricket. Well, of course, that was not the first time he made that announcement.
2. Hasan Ali
Even though Amir and Junaid did their part in Champions Trophy 2017, it was Hasan Ali who did the most damage to get his nation to there. Claiming 13 wickets across five matches, that too at an economy rate of 4.29, was not a joke, and Hasan made it happen, and got rewarded for his consistency by winning the Player Of The Tournament award.
However, just like Amir and Junaid, Hasan is no longer in the scheme of things for Pakistan. Nevertheless, unlike Amir, the 30-year-old has not taken international retirement yet.
1. Sikhar Dhawan
Fondly called India's Mr. ICC, Dhawan was incredibly consistent for India in both Champions Trophy events, in 2013 and in 2017. He ended up being the top run-getter on both occasions, with 363 and 338 runs respectively, and needless to say, was India's actual main man for their road to finale.
Even though Dhawan, 39, is retired now, ardent fans believe he could still do wonders if he got an opportunity in the upcoming event. That's how he set the standards, and India still lack that supremely reliable top-order batter to kick off the proceedings. In fact, considering his achievent, he deserved more respect and faith before taking the final call.