Five Cricketers who had successful careers despite battling with disability

Cricket is an extremely challenging sport. Cricketers have to give their all on the field to come out on top against their opponents. They have to put all their troubles behind them and perform at their best for their respective countries. Apart from the mental battles, there have been several cricketers who fought through their physical disabilities and gave stupendous performances on the field.

These cricketers proved that if you have sheer passion for the game, there’s nothing in this world that can stop you from living your dream. On that note, let’s take a look at five such cricketers who succeeded at the international level despite having a physical disability:

1 Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill (Source: Twitter)

Martin Guptill is one of the most senior batters in New Zealand batting line-up. The opener was the highest run scorer in the 2015 ODI World Cup. He also scored the second highest individual score in ODIs during the tournament scoring an unbeaten 237 against West Indies. Guptill is presently among the top three run-getters in T20Is with 3497 runs to his name.

But the star cricketer would’ve never imagined achieving such feats after playing the game with just two toes on his left foot. Guptill met a tragic forklift accident and lost three of his toes at the age of 13. Despite his disability, the batter has made a name for himself scoring a plethora of runs in both ODI and T20I formats.

2 Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (Source: Twitter)

Former Indian Captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi lost his right eye in a car crash at the age of 20. He was a student at Oxford University when a shard of glass flew into it after a car crash. Many experts are of the opinion that had he not lost his right eye in a car crash, he would have been one of the greatest batsmen ever.

However, this didn’t prevent him from pursuing his passion as he continued to play for India. He played with vision in just one eye but it never affected his game. Under his leadership, India registered its first-ever Test series win overseas in New Zealand in 1968.

3 Jonty Rhodes

Jonty Rhodes (Source: Twitter)

Jonty Rhodes is hailed as the best fielder of all time in international cricket. Rhodes’ famous run-out of Inzamam-ul-Haq is counted among the greatest moments of the Cricket World Cup. However, not many know that the South African performed all those stunning catches and run-outs on the field while battling with epilepsy. He was diagnosed with ‘mild’ epilepsy as a kid and doctors advised him to stay away from any physical activity that could give him a head injury. Despite his condition, Rhodes made a name for himself through his acrobatic fielding efforts.

4 Tony Greig

Tony Greig (Source: Twitter)

Tony Greig is one of the legendary commentators of the game. Before embarking on his commentary journey, Greig was a formidable all-rounder for England and even captained the English side. Greig also suffered from epilepsy and developed the disease as a result of an accident at the age of 12. Grieg’s epilepsy was much more serious and as a teenager, he had severe seizures, which led to injuries such as broken teeth or cuts that needed stitches. Despite his illness, Greig went on to play over 50 Tests each.

5 Shoaib Akhtar 

Shoaib Akhtar (Source: Twitter)

Shoaib Akhtar was one of the most fearsome bowlers in international cricket of his era. He troubled many great batters with his searing pace during his peak. Despite looking like a well-built fast bowler, Akhtar was flat-footed, which made running difficult. He further had hyperextension in his joints causing the filling of fluids in his knees, which further led to swelling and excruciating pain. Despite his troubles, Akhtar played for almost a decade picking up 400 wickets for his country.

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