Top Legend Cricketers Who Retired on Their Home Ground

There’s something truly special about a cricketer retiring on their home ground. It's like a final chapter written where their story first began, surrounded by the fans who stood by them and love them the most. Such farewell matches are full of raw emotions and nostalgia.

Sachin Tendulkar, the "Master Blaster", ended his iconic 24-year international career at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the city where he was born and raised. In his final Test against the West Indies in 2013, Tendulkar played in front of a packed home crowd and left all fans in tears. His farewell speech that day almost made every cricket fan realise that this was the end of an era, and the god of cricket won't feature anymore in the Indian jersey.

Another legend of the game, Ricky Ponting, who was one of Australia’s most successful captains, bid farewell in 2012 during a Test against South Africa at the WACA in Perth, a venue that had been part of his journey since his debut. While it was not his exact hometown but Perth had a special connection to his career. He received a guard of honour from the South African team, making it an emotional farewell for one of the modern-day greats. Let's have a look at other top cricketers who retired on home ground.

List of Legendary Cricketers Who Retired on Home Ground

Some of the most famous cricket retirements were when legendary players chose to bid farewell on their home grounds. Icons like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and Jacques Kallis ended their illustrious careers at stadiums deeply connected to their journeys.

Sri Lankan greats Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara also retired on home soil, as did New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum in Christchurch. Here is the list of some legendary cricketers who got the golden opportunity to retire on their home soil.

Sachin Tendulkar – Wankhede’s Emotional Goodbye

On November 16, 2013, Sachin Tendulkar played his final Test match at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, hanging up his boots after an incredible 24-year international career. Sachin's last appearance was one of the most emotional cricket farewells in the sport’s history. This farewell was deeply personal. Sachin had requested the match be held in Mumbai so his mother, who had never seen him play live due to health reasons, could watch him one last time. The Board of Control for Cricket in India honoured this request.

During the match against the West Indies, Tendulkar displayed the same grace and skill that made him a legend, scoring 74 runs in his final innings. When he finally walked off the field for the last time, the entire stadium rose to give him a standing ovation, chanting his name. Even the West Indies players honoured him with a guard of honour, showing their respect for one of cricket’s greatest.

One of the most touching moments came when Sachin saw his mother on the big screen during the closing moments. In his farewell speech, he expressed gratitude to his family, teammates, and millions of fans, while remembering his late father as a key part of his success.

Ricky Ponting – Farewell at the SCG

One of Australia’s greatest cricketers, Ricky Ponting, played his final Test match in November 2012 at the WACA Ground in Perth. Although fans hoped that he would retire at his home ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), where he had countless memorable moments, including his 100th Test and several centuries, the timing of the series meant his farewell in Perth instead.

In his last innings, Ponting scored just eight runs, but the occasion was still spectacular. The South African team formed a guard of honour, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation to make the moment special for him. While it wasn’t a retirement on his home ground like many other cricketers who retired on home ground, Ponting’s final match is still considered a fitting tribute to his incredible contribution to Australian cricket. He was one of the fiercest competitors on the field and has won 5 ICC trophies for Australia, including three World Cups and two Champions Trophy.

Jacques Kallis – A Hero’s Exit at Kingsmead

Jacques Kallis' farewell at Kingsmead in December 2013 was one of the most famous cricket retirements, and it was something every player dreams of. He announced on Christmas Day that the second Test against India in Durban would be his last. Kallis brought his career full circle, finishing at the same ground where he had debuted 18 years earlier.

He made the moment truly special by signing off with a magnificent century, scoring 115 in South Africa’s first innings to claim his 45th Test hundred and show his class for the final time in red ball cricket. India’s players gave him a guard of honour, the Kingsmead crowd rose to give him a standing ovation, and when the match ended with a South African win, his teammates lifted him on their shoulders and he waved to the fans with a beer in hand.

Kallis scored over 13,000 runs, 292 wickets, and 200 catches in Test cricket. Kallis left as one of the best allrounder in the world who defined an era and inspired millions of cricket fans all over the world.

Mahela Jayawardene - Final Knock in Colombo

Mahela Jayawardene’s final Test match was one of the most emotional cricket farewell for Sri Lankan fans. The match was against Pakistan at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo from August 14 to 18, 2014. Mahela had already announced his retirement before the series, and he requested to play his final Test at the SSC, his home ground and a venue where he had achieved many of his greatest innings.

The Sri Lankan board honoured his wish, and during the match, Sri Lanka scored 320 in their first innings, to which Pakistan replied with 332. Jayawardene’s first innings ended early with just 4 runs, but in his final knock, he scored 54 runs and stitched together a nostalgic 98-run partnership with his lifelong friend and batting partner Kumar Sangakkara. The sight of the two veterans batting together one last time brought back memories of countless match-saving stands that had defined a generation of Sri Lankan cricket.

Jayawardene’s teammates lifted him on their shoulders, taking him on a lap of honour around the ground as thousands of fans stood to applaud. He finished his 17-year-long Test career with 11,814 runs in 149 matches at an average of 49.84, including 34 centuries.

Kumar Sangakkara – Bidding Adieu at Galle

Sri-Lankan veteran Kumar Sangakkara’s farewell to Test cricket was one of the most famous cricket retirements in the history of the sport, and it also placed him among the elite cricketers who retired on home ground. In August 2015, the Sri Lankan maestro chose to bring his remarkable Test career to a close at Galle, where he played his second-last Test. He also made his debut fifteen years earlier at that same venue.

The first Test of the series against India at Galle was a celebration of his legacy. Sangakkara scored 5 in the first innings and 40 in the second, and although those numbers don't reflect his contribution to the game, every run he scored was cheered as if it were a century. At the end of the match, he was lifted on the shoulders of his teammates. His final appearance came in the second Test at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo, where he made 32 and 18, both times dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the few bowlers who had consistently troubled him. With his retirement, Sangakkara left behind a record of 12,400 Test runs in 134 matches at an extraordinary average of 57.40.

Brendon McCullum – Perfect Ending in Christchurch

Former Kiwi skipper Brendon McCullum’s final Test match was a farewell of one of cricket’s most fearless batters, in front of a packed home crowd at Hagley Oval in Christchurch from February 18 to 22, 2016, against Australia. McCullum came out to bat through a guard of honour from the Australian players and, with New Zealand struggling at 32 for 3 in the first innings, he unleashed one of the most breathtaking assaults in Test history, reaching his century in just 54 balls, the fastest in Test cricket, breaking the previous record of 56 balls set by Viv Richards and Misbah-ul-Haq.

His innings of 145 off 79 deliveries, which included 21 fours and six sixes, was a vintage display of fearless stroke play. Though New Zealand eventually lost the match and the series to Australia, his knock became the defining moment of the game. He walked off to a standing ovation from both sets of players and an emotional home crowd. As he waved his bat for the last time, the applause was not just for the records but for the transformation he had brought to New Zealand cricket.

Alastair Cook – Iconic Hundred in Farewell Match

Alastair Cook’s final Test match was the perfect farewell for one of England’s greatest cricketers, played against India at The Oval in London in September 2018. Cook is among those legendary cricketers who retired on home ground. He announced his retirement just before the match and walked out to bat through an emotional applause from the crowd.

In the first innings, he showed the same determination that had defined him for over a decade, scoring 71 runs. But it was in the second innings that his farewell turned into something truly unforgettable. Cook reached his 33rd Test century, his last hundred for England, in dramatic fashion, bringing it up with an overthrow that ran away to the boundary.

His 147 in the second innings helped England to win the match by 188 runs, sealing a 4-1 series victory over India. As he walked off the field for the final time, the entire Oval crowd rose in respect for a man who had given everything to English cricket. Cook finished with 12,472 Test runs, second-most by any English player, and joined the rare group of cricketers who scored centuries in both their debut and final Tests.

AB de Villiers – Mr 360 Farewell in Johannesburg

AB de Villiers, affectionately known as “Mr. 360” for his ability to play shots all around the wicket, brought down the curtain on his remarkable Test career during South Africa’s 2018 series against Australia, with his final match played at the iconic New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. In that match, he scored 69 runs in South Africa’s first innings and helped the Proteas take a massive lead in the first innings against the Aussies.

One of the best batsmen in the world of his time, de Villiers had taken a break from Test cricket in 2017 to focus on limited-overs cricket and later announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket in May 2018, explaining that he felt “tired” and believed he “had his turn.” His retirement marked the end of an era for South African cricket, as he had been phenomenal for over a decade.

South Africa ended up winning the 4th Test by 492 runs and clinched the series 3-1 in their favour against the Aussies. AB de Villiers scored 8,765 runs at an average of over 50 with 22 centuries to his name in red-ball cricket.

James Anderson - Swing Master Bids Farewell at Lord's

England’s legendary swing bowler and all-time leading wicket-taker, James Anderson, brought down the curtain on his extraordinary 21-year Test career in July 2024 at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, facing the West Indies in his 188th and final Test. He announced his retirement ahead of the match and joined the list of veterans who retired on their home ground. Anderson chose to end his career where it had all begun in 2003.

Anderson claimed four crucial wickets, including three in the second innings, and claimed his final scalp by dismissing Joshua Da Silva caught behind, finishing with 704 Test wickets, the third-highest in cricket history behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne. England secured an innings-and-114-run victory. Anderson’s retirement marked the end of an era not just for English cricket but for the global game.

MS Dhoni – A Planned Farewell That Never Came at Ranchi (Honourable Mention)

MS Dhoni’s final One Day International appearance in India took place in his hometown of Ranchi on March 8, 2019, during the third ODI of the series against Australia. The match had an emotional weight, as fans and teammates expected it to be Dhoni’s last game in front of his home crowd. The JSCA International Stadium was filled with tributes, banners, and a sense of celebration for the hometown hero who had given India so many unforgettable moments over the years.

Following the 2019 Cricket World Cup, where India reached the semifinals, MS Dhoni gradually stepped away from the international scene, and it was on August 15, 2020, that he officially announced his retirement from all forms of cricket through a brief Instagram post, leaving fans wondering of the fact that the captain who had defined an era did not receive the farewell match he truly deserved.

Why Home Farewells Matter to Fans and Players?

Home farewells carry a special meaning in cricket because they allow players and fans to celebrate a career in the same place where it all began. For fans, a farewell at a home ground is a chance to show their love and cheer for their hero one last time, and witness a historic moment. For players, it is an opportunity to feel that love and recognition of the crowd and thank those fans who have supported them through highs and lows. These emotional cricket farewells are something which always stays with the iconic bunch of cricketers who retired on home ground.