On This Day: Yuvraj Singh Announces Retirement From All Forms of Cricket

It was exactly a year ago, on June 10, 2019, that swashbuckling batsman Yuvraj Singh announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

After playing 19 years of international cricket, Yuvvraj finally hung up his boots and emerged as one of the most destructive batsman in the white-ball formats.

As an 18-year-old and showed glimpses of his abilities in just the second ODI when he shredded an Australian bowling attack to pieces in the 2000 Champions Trophy in Kenya. He soon became a lynchpin of the Indian middle-order often taking his side to memorable wins like in the famous Natwest Trophy final in 2002, which in some ways changed the landscape of Indian cricket.

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He did not have a great Test career though and could only manage 1,900 runs at an average of 33.92, which included only three tons. But he was no match in the white-ball cricket.

As far as as the T20Is is concerned, Yuvraj still holds the record for the fastest fifty, a feat he managed off 12 balls in the 2007 T20 World Cup against England. This was the same match where he slammed Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over.

His 30-ball 70 in the semi-final against Australia was instrumental in helping India reach the final and eventually lift the inaugural World T20 title.

Overall, he recorded 863 runs from 58 T20Is striking at a belligerent 136.38 while in 304 ODIs, he amassed 8,701 runs at an average of 36.55 including 52 half-centuries and 14 centuries.

Yuvraj's biggest and most important contribution though came at the 2011 50-over World Cup when India lifted the title for the first time in 28 years. Despite not being a 100 per cent, the southpaw was India's cornerstone all through the tournament both with the bat and ball and was named Player of the tournament for his efforts.

In the entire campaign he scored 362 runs at an average of 90.50 which included four fifties and a century. To go with that, the player of the tournament also bagged 15 wickets at an average of 25.

Soon after the World Cup came the biggest turning point in Yuvraj's life when he was diagnosed with cancer and required a two-and-a-half month treatment in the USA.

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But then he returned to competitive cricket and was named in India's squad for the World T20 in Sri Lanka in 2012.

His form dwindled after that and was out of the team in 2013. That said, he was still a hot commodity in the IPL.

The all-rounder reportedly is now thinking about pursuing a freelance career in foreign T20 leagues and has a few offers up his sleeve.